inspiration wohnzimmer grau

-chapter ithe strange man's arrival the stranger came early in february, onewintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow, the last snowfall of theyear, over the down, walking from bramblehurst railway station, and carrying a little black portmanteau in his thicklygloved hand. he was wrapped up from head to foot, andthe brim of his soft felt hat hid every inch of his face but the shiny tip of hisnose; the snow had piled itself against his shoulders and chest, and added a whitecrest to the burden he carried. he staggered into the "coach and horses"more dead than alive, and flung his

portmanteau down. "a fire," he cried, "in the name of humancharity! a room and a fire!" he stamped and shook the snow from offhimself in the bar, and followed mrs. hall into her guest parlour to strike hisbargain. and with that much introduction, that and acouple of sovereigns flung upon the table, he took up his quarters in the inn. mrs. hall lit the fire and left him therewhile she went to prepare him a meal with her own hands.

a guest to stop at iping in the wintertimewas an unheard-of piece of luck, let alone a guest who was no "haggler," and she wasresolved to show herself worthy of her good fortune. as soon as the bacon was well under way,and millie, her lymphatic aid, had been brisked up a bit by a few deftly chosenexpressions of contempt, she carried the cloth, plates, and glasses into the parlour and began to lay them with the utmosteclat. although the fire was burning up briskly,she was surprised to see that her visitor still wore his hat and coat, standing withhis back to her and staring out of the

window at the falling snow in the yard. his gloved hands were clasped behind him,and he seemed to be lost in thought. she noticed that the melting snow thatstill sprinkled his shoulders dripped upon her carpet. "can i take your hat and coat, sir?" shesaid, "and give them a good dry in the kitchen?""no," he said without turning. she was not sure she had heard him, and wasabout to repeat her question. he turned his head and looked at her overhis shoulder. "i prefer to keep them on," he said withemphasis, and she noticed that he wore big

blue spectacles with sidelights, and had abush side-whisker over his coat-collar that completely hid his cheeks and face. "very well, sir," she said."as you like. in a bit the room will be warmer." he made no answer, and had turned his faceaway from her again, and mrs. hall, feeling that her conversational advances were ill-timed, laid the rest of the table things in a quick staccato and whisked out of theroom. when she returned he was still standingthere, like a man of stone, his back hunched, his collar turned up, his drippinghat-brim turned down, hiding his face and

ears completely. she put down the eggs and bacon withconsiderable emphasis, and called rather than said to him, "your lunch is served,sir." "thank you," he said at the same time, anddid not stir until she was closing the door.then he swung round and approached the table with a certain eager quickness. as she went behind the bar to the kitchenshe heard a sound repeated at regular intervals. chirk, chirk, chirk, it went, the sound ofa spoon being rapidly whisked round a

basin."that girl!" she said. "there! i clean forgot it.it's her being so long!" and while she herself finished mixing themustard, she gave millie a few verbal stabs for her excessive slowness. she had cooked the ham and eggs, laid thetable, and done everything, while millie (help indeed!) had only succeeded indelaying the mustard. and him a new guest and wanting to stay! then she filled the mustard pot, and,putting it with a certain stateliness upon

a gold and black tea-tray, carried it intothe parlour. she rapped and entered promptly. as she did so her visitor moved quickly, sothat she got but a glimpse of a white object disappearing behind the table.it would seem he was picking something from the floor. she rapped down the mustard pot on thetable, and then she noticed the overcoat and hat had been taken off and put over achair in front of the fire, and a pair of wet boots threatened rust to her steelfender. she went to these things resolutely."i suppose i may have them to dry now," she

said in a voice that brooked no denial. "leave the hat," said her visitor, in amuffled voice, and turning she saw he had raised his head and was sitting and lookingat her. for a moment she stood gaping at him, toosurprised to speak. he held a white cloth--it was a serviettehe had brought with him--over the lower part of his face, so that his mouth andjaws were completely hidden, and that was the reason of his muffled voice. but it was not that which startled mrs.hall. it was the fact that all his forehead abovehis blue glasses was covered by a white

bandage, and that another covered his ears,leaving not a scrap of his face exposed excepting only his pink, peaked nose. it was bright, pink, and shiny just as ithad been at first. he wore a dark-brown velvet jacket with ahigh, black, linen-lined collar turned up about his neck. the thick black hair, escaping as it couldbelow and between the cross bandages, projected in curious tails and horns,giving him the strangest appearance conceivable. this muffled and bandaged head was sounlike what she had anticipated, that for a

moment she was rigid. he did not remove the serviette, butremained holding it, as she saw now, with a brown gloved hand, and regarding her withhis inscrutable blue glasses. "leave the hat," he said, speaking verydistinctly through the white cloth. her nerves began to recover from the shockthey had received. she placed the hat on the chair again bythe fire. "i didn't know, sir," she began, "that--"and she stopped embarrassed. "thank you," he said drily, glancing fromher to the door and then at her again. "i'll have them nicely dried, sir, atonce," she said, and carried his clothes

out of the room. she glanced at his white-swathed head andblue goggles again as she was going out of the door; but his napkin was still in frontof his face. she shivered a little as she closed thedoor behind her, and her face was eloquent of her surprise and perplexity."i never," she whispered. "there!" she went quite softly to the kitchen, andwas too preoccupied to ask millie what she was messing about with now, when she gotthere. the visitor sat and listened to herretreating feet.

he glanced inquiringly at the window beforehe removed his serviette, and resumed his meal. he took a mouthful, glanced suspiciously atthe window, took another mouthful, then rose and, taking the serviette in his hand,walked across the room and pulled the blind down to the top of the white muslin thatobscured the lower panes. this left the room in a twilight.this done, he returned with an easier air to the table and his meal. "the poor soul's had an accident or anop'ration or somethin'," said mrs. hall. "what a turn them bandages did give me, tobe sure!"

she put on some more coal, unfolded theclothes-horse, and extended the traveller's coat upon this."and they goggles! why, he looked more like a divin' helmetthan a human man!" she hung his muffler on a corner of thehorse. "and holding that handkerchief over hismouth all the time. talkin' through it!... perhaps his mouth was hurt too--maybe." she turned round, as one who suddenlyremembers. "bless my soul alive!" she said, going offat a tangent; "ain't you done them taters

yet, millie?" when mrs. hall went to clear away thestranger's lunch, her idea that his mouth must also have been cut or disfigured inthe accident she supposed him to have suffered, was confirmed, for he was smoking a pipe, and all the time that she was inthe room he never loosened the silk muffler he had wrapped round the lower part of hisface to put the mouthpiece to his lips. yet it was not forgetfulness, for she sawhe glanced at it as it smouldered out. he sat in the corner with his back to thewindow-blind and spoke now, having eaten and drunk and being comfortably warmedthrough, with less aggressive brevity than

before. the reflection of the fire lent a kind ofred animation to his big spectacles they had lacked hitherto. "i have some luggage," he said, "atbramblehurst station," and he asked her how he could have it sent.he bowed his bandaged head quite politely in acknowledgment of her explanation. "to-morrow?" he said."there is no speedier delivery?" and seemed quite disappointed when she answered, "no."was she quite sure? no man with a trap who would go over?

mrs. hall, nothing loath, answered hisquestions and developed a conversation. "it's a steep road by the down, sir," shesaid in answer to the question about a trap; and then, snatching at an opening,said, "it was there a carriage was upsettled, a year ago and more. a gentleman killed, besides his coachman.accidents, sir, happen in a moment, don't they?"but the visitor was not to be drawn so easily. "they do," he said through his muffler,eyeing her quietly through his impenetrable glasses."but they take long enough to get well,

don't they? ...there was my sister's son, tom, jest cut his arm with a scythe, tumbled on it in the'ayfield, and, bless me! he was three months tied up sir. you'd hardly believe it.it's regular given me a dread of a scythe, sir.""i can quite understand that," said the visitor. "he was afraid, one time, that he'd have tohave an op'ration--he was that bad, sir." the visitor laughed abruptly, a bark of alaugh that he seemed to bite and kill in

his mouth. "was he?" he said."he was, sir. and no laughing matter to them as had thedoing for him, as i had--my sister being took up with her little ones so much. there was bandages to do, sir, and bandagesto undo. so that if i may make so bold as to say it,sir--" "will you get me some matches?" said thevisitor, quite abruptly. "my pipe is out."mrs. hall was pulled up suddenly. it was certainly rude of him, after tellinghim all she had done.

she gasped at him for a moment, andremembered the two sovereigns. she went for the matches. "thanks," he said concisely, as she putthem down, and turned his shoulder upon her and stared out of the window again.it was altogether too discouraging. evidently he was sensitive on the topic ofoperations and bandages. she did not "make so bold as to say,"however, after all. but his snubbing way had irritated her, andmillie had a hot time of it that afternoon. the visitor remained in the parlour untilfour o'clock, without giving the ghost of an excuse for an intrusion.

for the most part he was quite still duringthat time; it would seem he sat in the growing darkness smoking in the firelight--perhaps dozing. once or twice a curious listener might haveheard him at the coals, and for the space of five minutes he was audible pacing theroom. he seemed to be talking to himself. then the armchair creaked as he sat downagain. chapter iimr. teddy henfrey's first impressions at four o'clock, when it was fairly darkand mrs. hall was screwing up her courage to go in and ask her visitor if he wouldtake some tea, teddy henfrey, the clock-

jobber, came into the bar. "my sakes!mrs. hall," said he, "but this is terrible weather for thin boots!"the snow outside was falling faster. mrs. hall agreed, and then noticed he hadhis bag with him. "now you're here, mr. teddy," said she,"i'd be glad if you'd give th' old clock in the parlour a bit of a look. 'tis going, and it strikes well and hearty;but the hour-hand won't do nuthin' but point at six."and leading the way, she went across to the parlour door and rapped and entered.

her visitor, she saw as she opened thedoor, was seated in the armchair before the fire, dozing it would seem, with hisbandaged head drooping on one side. the only light in the room was the red glowfrom the fire--which lit his eyes like adverse railway signals, but left hisdowncast face in darkness--and the scanty vestiges of the day that came in throughthe open door. everything was ruddy, shadowy, andindistinct to her, the more so since she had just been lighting the bar lamp, andher eyes were dazzled. but for a second it seemed to her that theman she looked at had an enormous mouth wide open--a vast and incredible mouth thatswallowed the whole of the lower portion of

his face. it was the sensation of a moment: thewhite-bound head, the monstrous goggle eyes, and this huge yawn below it.then he stirred, started up in his chair, put up his hand. she opened the door wide, so that the roomwas lighter, and she saw him more clearly, with the muffler held up to his face justas she had seen him hold the serviette the shadows, she fancied, had tricked her."would you mind, sir, this man a-coming to look at the clock, sir?" she said,recovering from the momentary shock. "look at the clock?" he said, staring roundin a drowsy manner, and speaking over his

hand, and then, getting more fully awake,"certainly." mrs. hall went away to get a lamp, and herose and stretched himself. then came the light, and mr. teddy henfrey,entering, was confronted by this bandaged person. he was, he says, "taken aback.""good afternoon," said the stranger, regarding him--as mr. henfrey says, with avivid sense of the dark spectacles--"like a lobster." "i hope," said mr. henfrey, "that it's nointrusion." "none whatever," said the stranger.

"though, i understand," he said turning tomrs. hall, "that this room is really to be mine for my own private use.""i thought, sir," said mrs. hall, "you'd prefer the clock--" "certainly," said the stranger, "certainly--but, as a rule, i like to be alone and undisturbed. "but i'm really glad to have the clock seento," he said, seeing a certain hesitation in mr. henfrey's manner."very glad." mr. henfrey had intended to apologise andwithdraw, but this anticipation reassured him.

the stranger turned round with his back tothe fireplace and put his hands behind his back. "and presently," he said, "when the clock-mending is over, i think i should like to have some tea.but not till the clock-mending is over." mrs. hall was about to leave the room--shemade no conversational advances this time, because she did not want to be snubbed infront of mr. henfrey--when her visitor asked her if she had made any arrangementsabout his boxes at bramblehurst. she told him she had mentioned the matterto the postman, and that the carrier could bring them over on the morrow.

"you are certain that is the earliest?" hesaid. she was certain, with a marked coldness. "i should explain," he added, "what i wasreally too cold and fatigued to do before, that i am an experimental investigator.""indeed, sir," said mrs. hall, much impressed. "and my baggage contains apparatus andappliances." "very useful things indeed they are, sir,"said mrs. hall. "and i'm very naturally anxious to get onwith my inquiries." "of course, sir."

"my reason for coming to iping," heproceeded, with a certain deliberation of manner, "was ... a desire for solitude.i do not wish to be disturbed in my work. in addition to my work, an accident--" "i thought as much," said mrs. hall toherself. "--necessitates a certain retirement. my eyes--are sometimes so weak and painfulthat i have to shut myself up in the dark for hours together.lock myself up. sometimes--now and then. not at present, certainly.at such times the slightest disturbance,

the entry of a stranger into the room, is asource of excruciating annoyance to me--it is well these things should be understood." "certainly, sir," said mrs. hall."and if i might make so bold as to ask--" "that i think, is all," said the stranger,with that quietly irresistible air of finality he could assume at will. mrs. hall reserved her question andsympathy for a better occasion. after mrs. hall had left the room, heremained standing in front of the fire, glaring, so mr. henfrey puts it, at theclock-mending. mr. henfrey not only took off the hands ofthe clock, and the face, but extracted the

works; and he tried to work in as slow andquiet and unassuming a manner as possible. he worked with the lamp close to him, andthe green shade threw a brilliant light upon his hands, and upon the frame andwheels, and left the rest of the room shadowy. when he looked up, coloured patches swam inhis eyes. being constitutionally of a curious nature,he had removed the works--a quite unnecessary proceeding--with the idea ofdelaying his departure and perhaps falling into conversation with the stranger. but the stranger stood there, perfectlysilent and still.

so still, it got on henfrey's nerves. he felt alone in the room and looked up,and there, grey and dim, was the bandaged head and huge blue lenses staring fixedly,with a mist of green spots drifting in front of them. it was so uncanny to henfrey that for aminute they remained staring blankly at one another.then henfrey looked down again. very uncomfortable position! one would like to say something.should he remark that the weather was very cold for the time of year?he looked up as if to take aim with that

introductory shot. "the weather--" he began."why don't you finish and go?" said the rigid figure, evidently in a state ofpainfully suppressed rage. "all you've got to do is to fix the hour-hand on its axle. you're simply humbugging--""certainly, sir--one minute more. i overlooked--" and mr. henfrey finishedand went. but he went feeling excessively annoyed. "damn it!" said mr. henfrey to himself,trudging down the village through the thawing snow; "a man must do a clock attimes, sure-ly."

and again "can't a man look at you?--ugly!" and yet again, "seemingly not.if the police was wanting you you couldn't be more wropped and bandaged." at gleeson's corner he saw hall, who hadrecently married the stranger's hostess at the "coach and horses," and who now drovethe iping conveyance, when occasional people required it, to sidderbridge junction, coming towards him on his returnfrom that place. hall had evidently been "stopping a bit" atsidderbridge, to judge by his driving. "'ow do, teddy?" he said, passing.

"you got a rum un up home!" said teddy.hall very sociably pulled up. "what's that?" he asked."rum-looking customer stopping at the 'coach and horses,'" said teddy. "my sakes!"and he proceeded to give hall a vivid description of his grotesque guest."looks a bit like a disguise, don't it? i'd like to see a man's face if i had himstopping in my place," said henfrey. "but women are that trustful--wherestrangers are concerned. he's took your rooms and he ain't evengiven a name, hall." "you don't say so!" said hall, who was aman of sluggish apprehension.

"yes," said teddy. "by the week.whatever he is, you can't get rid of him under the week.and he's got a lot of luggage coming to- morrow, so he says. let's hope it won't be stones in boxes,hall." he told hall how his aunt at hastings hadbeen swindled by a stranger with empty portmanteaux. altogether he left hall vaguely suspicious."get up, old girl," said hall. "i s'pose i must see 'bout this."teddy trudged on his way with his mind

considerably relieved. instead of "seeing 'bout it," however, hallon his return was severely rated by his wife on the length of time he had spent insidderbridge, and his mild inquiries were answered snappishly and in a manner not tothe point. but the seed of suspicion teddy had sowngerminated in the mind of mr. hall in spite of these discouragements. "you wim' don't know everything," said mr.hall, resolved to ascertain more about the personality of his guest at the earliestpossible opportunity. and after the stranger had gone to bed,which he did about half-past nine, mr. hall

went very aggressively into the parlour andlooked very hard at his wife's furniture, just to show that the stranger wasn't master there, and scrutinised closely and alittle contemptuously a sheet of mathematical computations the stranger hadleft. when retiring for the night he instructedmrs. hall to look very closely at the stranger's luggage when it came next day."you mind you own business, hall," said mrs. hall, "and i'll mind mine." she was all the more inclined to snap athall because the stranger was undoubtedly an unusually strange sort of stranger, andshe was by no means assured about him in

her own mind. in the middle of the night she woke updreaming of huge white heads like turnips, that came trailing after her, at the end ofinterminable necks, and with vast black eyes. but being a sensible woman, she subdued herterrors and turned over and went to sleep again. > -chapter iiithe thousand and one bottles so it was that on the twenty-ninth day offebruary, at the beginning of the thaw,

this singular person fell out of infinityinto iping village. next day his luggage arrived through theslush--and very remarkable luggage it was. there were a couple of trunks indeed, suchas a rational man might need, but in addition there were a box of books--big,fat books, of which some were just in an incomprehensible handwriting--and a dozen or more crates, boxes, and cases,containing objects packed in straw, as it seemed to hall, tugging with a casualcuriosity at the straw--glass bottles. the stranger, muffled in hat, coat, gloves,and wrapper, came out impatiently to meet fearenside's cart, while hall was having aword or so of gossip preparatory to helping

being them in. out he came, not noticing fearenside's dog,who was sniffing in a dilettante spirit at hall's legs."come along with those boxes," he said. "i've been waiting long enough." and he came down the steps towards the tailof the cart as if to lay hands on the smaller crate. no sooner had fearenside's dog caught sightof him, however, than it began to bristle and growl savagely, and when he rushed downthe steps it gave an undecided hop, and then sprang straight at his hand.

"whup!" cried hall, jumping back, for hewas no hero with dogs, and fearenside howled, "lie down!" and snatched his whip. they saw the dog's teeth had slipped thehand, heard a kick, saw the dog execute a flanking jump and get home on thestranger's leg, and heard the rip of his trousering. then the finer end of fearenside's whipreached his property, and the dog, yelping with dismay, retreated under the wheels ofthe waggon. it was all the business of a swift half-minute. no one spoke, everyone shouted.

the stranger glanced swiftly at his tornglove and at his leg, made as if he would stoop to the latter, then turned and rushedswiftly up the steps into the inn. they heard him go headlong across thepassage and up the uncarpeted stairs to his bedroom. "you brute, you!" said fearenside, climbingoff the waggon with his whip in his hand, while the dog watched him through thewheel. "come here," said fearenside--"you'dbetter." hall had stood gaping."he wuz bit," said hall. "i'd better go and see to en," and hetrotted after the stranger.

he met mrs. hall in the passage."carrier's darg," he said "bit en." he went straight upstairs, and thestranger's door being ajar, he pushed it open and was entering without any ceremony,being of a naturally sympathetic turn of mind. the blind was down and the room dim. he caught a glimpse of a most singularthing, what seemed a handless arm waving towards him, and a face of three hugeindeterminate spots on white, very like the face of a pale pansy. then he was struck violently in the chest,hurled back, and the door slammed in his

face and locked.it was so rapid that it gave him no time to observe. a waving of indecipherable shapes, a blow,and a concussion. there he stood on the dark little landing,wondering what it might be that he had seen. a couple of minutes after, he rejoined thelittle group that had formed outside the "coach and horses." there was fearenside telling about it allover again for the second time; there was mrs. hall saying his dog didn't have nobusiness to bite her guests; there was

huxter, the general dealer from over the road, interrogative; and sandy wadgers fromthe forge, judicial; besides women and children, all of them saying fatuities:"wouldn't let en bite me, i knows"; "'tasn't right have such dargs"; "whad 'ebite 'n for, than?" and so forth. mr. hall, staring at them from the stepsand listening, found it incredible that he had seen anything so very remarkable happenupstairs. besides, his vocabulary was altogether toolimited to express his impressions. "he don't want no help, he says," he saidin answer to his wife's inquiry. "we'd better be a-takin' of his luggagein."

"he ought to have it cauterised at once,"said mr. huxter; "especially if it's at all inflamed." "i'd shoot en, that's what i'd do," said alady in the group. suddenly the dog began growling again. "come along," cried an angry voice in thedoorway, and there stood the muffled stranger with his collar turned up, and hishat-brim bent down. "the sooner you get those things in thebetter i'll be pleased." it is stated by an anonymous bystander thathis trousers and gloves had been changed. "was you hurt, sir?" said fearenside.

"i'm rare sorry the darg--""not a bit," said the stranger. "never broke the skin.hurry up with those things." he then swore to himself, so mr. hallasserts. directly the first crate was, in accordancewith his directions, carried into the parlour, the stranger flung himself upon itwith extraordinary eagerness, and began to unpack it, scattering the straw with anutter disregard of mrs. hall's carpet. and from it he began to produce bottles--little fat bottles containing powders, small and slender bottles containingcoloured and white fluids, fluted blue bottles labeled poison, bottles with round

bodies and slender necks, large green-glassbottles, large white-glass bottles, bottles with glass stoppers and frosted labels,bottles with fine corks, bottles with bungs, bottles with wooden caps, wine bottles, salad-oil bottles--putting them inrows on the chiffonnier, on the mantel, on the table under the window, round thefloor, on the bookshelf--everywhere. the chemist's shop in bramblehurst couldnot boast half so many. quite a sight it was. crate after crate yielded bottles, untilall six were empty and the table high with straw; the only things that came out ofthese crates besides the bottles were a

number of test-tubes and a carefully packedbalance. and directly the crates were unpacked, thestranger went to the window and set to work, not troubling in the least about thelitter of straw, the fire which had gone out, the box of books outside, nor for the trunks and other luggage that had goneupstairs. when mrs. hall took his dinner in to him,he was already so absorbed in his work, pouring little drops out of the bottlesinto test-tubes, that he did not hear her until she had swept away the bulk of the straw and put the tray on the table, withsome little emphasis perhaps, seeing the

state that the floor was in.then he half turned his head and immediately turned it away again. but she saw he had removed his glasses;they were beside him on the table, and it seemed to her that his eye sockets wereextraordinarily hollow. he put on his spectacles again, and thenturned and faced her. she was about to complain of the straw onthe floor when he anticipated her. "i wish you wouldn't come in withoutknocking," he said in the tone of abnormal exasperation that seemed so characteristicof him. "i knocked, but seemingly--"

"perhaps you did.but in my investigations--my really very urgent and necessary investigations--theslightest disturbance, the jar of a door--i must ask you--" "certainly, sir.you can turn the lock if you're like that, you know.any time." "a very good idea," said the stranger. "this stror, sir, if i might make so boldas to remark--" "don't.if the straw makes trouble put it down in the bill."

and he mumbled at her--words suspiciouslylike curses. he was so odd, standing there, soaggressive and explosive, bottle in one hand and test-tube in the other, that mrs.hall was quite alarmed. but she was a resolute woman. "in which case, i should like to know, sir,what you consider--" "a shilling--put down a shilling.surely a shilling's enough?" "so be it," said mrs. hall, taking up thetable-cloth and beginning to spread it over the table."if you're satisfied, of course--" he turned and sat down, with his coat-collar toward her.

all the afternoon he worked with the doorlocked and, as mrs. hall testifies, for the most part in silence. but once there was a concussion and a soundof bottles ringing together as though the table had been hit, and the smash of abottle flung violently down, and then a rapid pacing athwart the room. fearing "something was the matter," shewent to the door and listened, not caring to knock."i can't go on," he was raving. "i can't go on. three hundred thousand, four hundredthousand!

the huge multitude!cheated! all my life it may take me! ...patience! patience indeed!... fool! fool!" there was a noise of hobnails on the bricksin the bar, and mrs. hall had very reluctantly to leave the rest of hissoliloquy. when she returned the room was silentagain, save for the faint crepitation of his chair and the occasional clink of abottle.

it was all over; the stranger had resumedwork. when she took in his tea she saw brokenglass in the corner of the room under the concave mirror, and a golden stain that hadbeen carelessly wiped. she called attention to it. "put it down in the bill," snapped hervisitor. "for god's sake don't worry me. if there's damage done, put it down in thebill," and he went on ticking a list in the exercise book before him."i'll tell you something," said fearenside, mysteriously.

it was late in the afternoon, and they werein the little beer-shop of iping hanger. "well?" said teddy henfrey."this chap you're speaking of, what my dog bit. well--he's black.leastways, his legs are. i seed through the tear of his trousers andthe tear of his glove. you'd have expected a sort of pinky toshow, wouldn't you? well--there wasn't none.just blackness. i tell you, he's as black as my hat." "my sakes!" said henfrey."it's a rummy case altogether.

why, his nose is as pink as paint!""that's true," said fearenside. "i knows that. and i tell 'ee what i'm thinking.that marn's a piebald, teddy. black here and white there--in patches.and he's ashamed of it. he's a kind of half-breed, and the colour'scome off patchy instead of mixing. i've heard of such things before.and it's the common way with horses, as any one can see." chapter ivmr. cuss interviews the stranger i have told the circumstances of thestranger's arrival in iping with a certain

fulness of detail, in order that thecurious impression he created may be understood by the reader. but excepting two odd incidents, thecircumstances of his stay until the extraordinary day of the club festival maybe passed over very cursorily. there were a number of skirmishes with mrs.hall on matters of domestic discipline, but in every case until late april, when thefirst signs of penury began, he over-rode her by the easy expedient of an extrapayment. hall did not like him, and whenever hedared he talked of the advisability of getting rid of him; but he showed hisdislike chiefly by concealing it

ostentatiously, and avoiding his visitor asmuch as possible. "wait till the summer," said mrs. hallsagely, "when the artisks are beginning to come. then we'll see.he may be a bit overbearing, but bills settled punctual is bills settled punctual,whatever you'd like to say." the stranger did not go to church, andindeed made no difference between sunday and the irreligious days, even in costume.he worked, as mrs. hall thought, very fitfully. some days he would come down early and becontinuously busy.

on others he would rise late, pace hisroom, fretting audibly for hours together, smoke, sleep in the armchair by the fire. communication with the world beyond thevillage he had none. his temper continued very uncertain; forthe most part his manner was that of a man suffering under almost unendurableprovocation, and once or twice things were snapped, torn, crushed, or broken inspasmodic gusts of violence. he seemed under a chronic irritation of thegreatest intensity. his habit of talking to himself in a lowvoice grew steadily upon him, but though mrs. hall listened conscientiously shecould make neither head nor tail of what

she heard. he rarely went abroad by daylight, but attwilight he would go out muffled up invisibly, whether the weather were cold ornot, and he chose the loneliest paths and those most overshadowed by trees and banks. his goggling spectacles and ghastlybandaged face under the penthouse of his hat, came with a disagreeable suddennessout of the darkness upon one or two home- going labourers, and teddy henfrey, tumbling out of the "scarlet coat" onenight, at half-past nine, was scared shamefully by the stranger's skull-likehead (he was walking hat in hand) lit by

the sudden light of the opened inn door. such children as saw him at nightfalldreamt of bogies, and it seemed doubtful whether he disliked boys more than theydisliked him, or the reverse; but there was certainly a vivid enough dislike on eitherside. it was inevitable that a person of soremarkable an appearance and bearing should form a frequent topic in such a village asiping. opinion was greatly divided about hisoccupation. mrs. hall was sensitive on the point. when questioned, she explained verycarefully that he was an "experimental

investigator," going gingerly over thesyllables as one who dreads pitfalls. when asked what an experimentalinvestigator was, she would say with a touch of superiority that most educatedpeople knew such things as that, and would thus explain that he "discovered things." her visitor had had an accident, she said,which temporarily discoloured his face and hands, and being of a sensitivedisposition, he was averse to any public notice of the fact. out of her hearing there was a view largelyentertained that he was a criminal trying to escape from justice by wrapping himselfup so as to conceal himself altogether from

the eye of the police. this idea sprang from the brain of mr.teddy henfrey. no crime of any magnitude dating from themiddle or end of february was known to have occurred. elaborated in the imagination of mr. gould,the probationary assistant in the national school, this theory took the form that thestranger was an anarchist in disguise, preparing explosives, and he resolved to undertake such detective operations as histime permitted. these consisted for the most part inlooking very hard at the stranger whenever

they met, or in asking people who had neverseen the stranger, leading questions about but he detected nothing. another school of opinion followed mr.fearenside, and either accepted the piebald view or some modification of it; as, forinstance, silas durgan, who was heard to assert that "if he choses to show enself at fairs he'd make his fortune in no time,"and being a bit of a theologian, compared the stranger to the man with the onetalent. yet another view explained the entirematter by regarding the stranger as a harmless lunatic.that had the advantage of accounting for

everything straight away. between these main groups there werewaverers and compromisers. sussex folk have few superstitions, and itwas only after the events of early april that the thought of the supernatural wasfirst whispered in the village. even then it was only credited among thewomen folk. but whatever they thought of him, people iniping, on the whole, agreed in disliking his irritability, though it might have beencomprehensible to an urban brain-worker, was an amazing thing to these quiet sussexvillagers. the frantic gesticulations they surprisednow and then, the headlong pace after

nightfall that swept him upon them roundquiet corners, the inhuman bludgeoning of all tentative advances of curiosity, the taste for twilight that led to the closingof doors, the pulling down of blinds, the extinction of candles and lamps--who couldagree with such goings on? they drew aside as he passed down thevillage, and when he had gone by, young humourists would up with coat-collars anddown with hat-brims, and go pacing nervously after him in imitation of hisoccult bearing. there was a song popular at that timecalled "the bogey man". miss statchell sang it at the schoolroomconcert (in aid of the church lamps), and

thereafter whenever one or two of thevillagers were gathered together and the stranger appeared, a bar or so of this tune, more or less sharp or flat, waswhistled in the midst of them. also belated little children would call"bogey man!" after him, and make off tremulously elated. cuss, the general practitioner, wasdevoured by curiosity. the bandages excited his professionalinterest, the report of the thousand and one bottles aroused his jealous regard. all through april and may he coveted anopportunity of talking to the stranger, and

at last, towards whitsuntide, he couldstand it no longer, but hit upon the subscription-list for a village nurse as anexcuse. he was surprised to find that mr. hall didnot know his guest's name. "he give a name," said mrs. hall--anassertion which was quite unfounded--"but i didn't rightly hear it."she thought it seemed so silly not to know the man's name. cuss rapped at the parlour door andentered. there was a fairly audible imprecation fromwithin. "pardon my intrusion," said cuss, and thenthe door closed and cut mrs. hall off from

the rest of the conversation. she could hear the murmur of voices for thenext ten minutes, then a cry of surprise, a stirring of feet, a chair flung aside,a bark of laughter, quick steps to the door, and cuss appeared, his face white, his eyesstaring over his shoulder. he left the door open behind him, andwithout looking at her strode across the hall and went down the steps, and she heardhis feet hurrying along the road. he carried his hat in his hand. she stood behind the door, looking at theopen door of the parlour. then she heard the stranger laughingquietly, and then his footsteps came across

the room. she could not see his face where she stood.the parlour door slammed, and the place was silent again.cuss went straight up the village to bunting the vicar. "am i mad?"cuss began abruptly, as he entered the shabby little study."do i look like an insane person?" "what's happened?" said the vicar, puttingthe ammonite on the loose sheets of his forth-coming sermon."that chap at the inn--" "well?"

"give me something to drink," said cuss,and he sat down. when his nerves had been steadied by aglass of cheap sherry--the only drink the good vicar had available--he told him ofthe interview he had just had. "went in," he gasped, "and began to demanda subscription for that nurse fund. he'd stuck his hands in his pockets as icame in, and he sat down lumpily in his chair. sniffed.i told him i'd heard he took an interest in scientific things.he said yes. sniffed again.

kept on sniffing all the time; evidentlyrecently caught an infernal cold. no wonder, wrapped up like that!i developed the nurse idea, and all the while kept my eyes open. bottles--chemicals--everywhere.balance, test-tubes in stands, and a smell of--evening primrose.would he subscribe? said he'd consider it. asked him, point-blank, was he researching.said he was. a long research?got quite cross. 'a damnable long research,' said he,blowing the cork out, so to speak.

'oh,' said i.and out came the grievance. the man was just on the boil, and myquestion boiled him over. he had been given a prescription, mostvaluable prescription--what for he wouldn't say. was it medical?'damn you! what are you fishing after?'i apologised. dignified sniff and cough. he resumed.he'd read it. five ingredients.put it down; turned his head.

draught of air from window lifted thepaper. swish, rustle.he was working in a room with an open fireplace, he said. saw a flicker, and there was theprescription burning and lifting chimneyward.rushed towards it just as it whisked up the chimney. so! just at that point, to illustrate hisstory, out came his arm." "well?""no hand--just an empty sleeve. lord!

i thought, that's a deformity!got a cork arm, i suppose, and has taken it off.then, i thought, there's something odd in that. what the devil keeps that sleeve up andopen, if there's nothing in it? there was nothing in it, i tell you.nothing down it, right down to the joint. i could see right down it to the elbow, andthere was a glimmer of light shining through a tear of the cloth.'good god!' i said. then he stopped.stared at me with those black goggles of

his, and then at his sleeve.""well?" "that's all. he never said a word; just glared, and puthis sleeve back in his pocket quickly. 'i was saying,' said he, 'that there wasthe prescription burning, wasn't i?' interrogative cough. 'how the devil,' said i, 'can you move anempty sleeve like that?' 'empty sleeve?''yes,' said i, 'an empty sleeve.' "'it's an empty sleeve, is it? you saw it was an empty sleeve?'he stood up right away.

i stood up too.he came towards me in three very slow steps, and stood quite close. sniffed venomously.i didn't flinch, though i'm hanged if that bandaged knob of his, and those blinkers,aren't enough to unnerve any one, coming quietly up to you. "'you said it was an empty sleeve?' hesaid. 'certainly,' i said.at staring and saying nothing a barefaced man, unspectacled, starts scratch. then very quietly he pulled his sleeve outof his pocket again, and raised his arm

towards me as though he would show it to meagain. he did it very, very slowly. i looked at it.seemed an age. 'well?' said i, clearing my throat,'there's nothing in it.' "had to say something. i was beginning to feel frightened.i could see right down it. he extended it straight towards me, slowly,slowly--just like that--until the cuff was six inches from my face. queer thing to see an empty sleeve come atyou like that!

and then--""well?" "something--exactly like a finger and thumbit felt--nipped my nose." bunting began to laugh. "there wasn't anything there!" said cuss,his voice running up into a shriek at the "there." "it's all very well for you to laugh, but itell you i was so startled, i hit his cuff hard, and turned around, and cut out of theroom--i left him--" cuss stopped. there was no mistaking the sincerity of hispanic.

he turned round in a helpless way and tooka second glass of the excellent vicar's very inferior sherry. "when i hit his cuff," said cuss, "i tellyou, it felt exactly like hitting an arm. and there wasn't an arm!there wasn't the ghost of an arm!" mr. bunting thought it over. he looked suspiciously at cuss."it's a most remarkable story," he said. he looked very wise and grave indeed. "it's really," said mr. bunting withjudicial emphasis, "a most remarkable story."

-chapter vthe burglary at the vicarage the facts of the burglary at the vicaragecame to us chiefly through the medium of the vicar and his wife. it occurred in the small hours of whitmonday, the day devoted in iping to the club festivities. mrs. bunting, it seems, woke up suddenly inthe stillness that comes before the dawn, with the strong impression that the door oftheir bedroom had opened and closed. she did not arouse her husband at first,but sat up in bed listening. she then distinctly heard the pad, pad, padof bare feet coming out of the adjoining

dressing-room and walking along the passagetowards the staircase. as soon as she felt assured of this, shearoused the rev. mr. bunting as quietly as possible. he did not strike a light, but putting onhis spectacles, her dressing-gown and his bath slippers, he went out on the landingto listen. he heard quite distinctly a fumbling goingon at his study desk down-stairs, and then a violent sneeze. at that he returned to his bedroom, armedhimself with the most obvious weapon, the poker, and descended the staircase asnoiselessly as possible.

mrs. bunting came out on the landing. the hour was about four, and the ultimatedarkness of the night was past. there was a faint shimmer of light in thehall, but the study doorway yawned impenetrably black. everything was still except the faintcreaking of the stairs under mr. bunting's tread, and the slight movements in thestudy. then something snapped, the drawer wasopened, and there was a rustle of papers. then came an imprecation, and a match wasstruck and the study was flooded with yellow light.

mr. bunting was now in the hall, andthrough the crack of the door he could see the desk and the open drawer and a candleburning on the desk. but the robber he could not see. he stood there in the hall undecided whatto do, and mrs. bunting, her face white and intent, crept slowly downstairs after him. one thing kept mr. bunting's courage; thepersuasion that this burglar was a resident in the village. they heard the chink of money, and realisedthat the robber had found the housekeeping reserve of gold--two pounds ten in halfsovereigns altogether.

at that sound mr. bunting was nerved toabrupt action. gripping the poker firmly, he rushed intothe room, closely followed by mrs. bunting. "surrender!" cried mr. bunting, fiercely,and then stooped amazed. apparently the room was perfectly empty. yet their conviction that they had, thatvery moment, heard somebody moving in the room had amounted to a certainty. for half a minute, perhaps, they stoodgaping, then mrs. bunting went across the room and looked behind the screen, whilemr. bunting, by a kindred impulse, peered under the desk.

then mrs. bunting turned back the window-curtains, and mr. bunting looked up the chimney and probed it with the poker. then mrs. bunting scrutinised the waste-paper basket and mr. bunting opened the lid of the coal-scuttle.then they came to a stop and stood with eyes interrogating each other. "i could have sworn--" said mr. bunting."the candle!" said mr. bunting. "who lit the candle?""the drawer!" said mrs. bunting. "and the money's gone!" she went hastily to the doorway."of all the strange occurrences--"

there was a violent sneeze in the passage.they rushed out, and as they did so the kitchen door slammed. "bring the candle," said mr. bunting, andled the way. they both heard a sound of bolts beinghastily shot back. as he opened the kitchen door he sawthrough the scullery that the back door was just opening, and the faint light of earlydawn displayed the dark masses of the garden beyond. he is certain that nothing went out of thedoor. it opened, stood open for a moment, andthen closed with a slam.

as it did so, the candle mrs. bunting wascarrying from the study flickered and flared.it was a minute or more before they entered the kitchen. the place was empty.they refastened the back door, examined the kitchen, pantry, and scullery thoroughly,and at last went down into the cellar. there was not a soul to be found in thehouse, search as they would. daylight found the vicar and his wife, aquaintly-costumed little couple, still marvelling about on their own ground floorby the unnecessary light of a guttering candle.

chapter vithe furniture that went mad now it happened that in the early hours ofwhit monday, before millie was hunted out for the day, mr. hall and mrs. hall bothrose and went noiselessly down into the cellar. their business there was of a privatenature, and had something to do with the specific gravity of their beer. they had hardly entered the cellar whenmrs. hall found she had forgotten to bring down a bottle of sarsaparilla from theirjoint-room. as she was the expert and principaloperator in this affair, hall very properly

went upstairs for it.on the landing he was surprised to see that the stranger's door was ajar. he went on into his own room and found thebottle as he had been directed. but returning with the bottle, he noticedthat the bolts of the front door had been shot back, that the door was in fact simplyon the latch. and with a flash of inspiration heconnected this with the stranger's room upstairs and the suggestions of mr. teddyhenfrey. he distinctly remembered holding the candlewhile mrs. hall shot these bolts overnight. at the sight he stopped, gaping, then withthe bottle still in his hand went upstairs

he rapped at the stranger's door.there was no answer. he rapped again; then pushed the door wideopen and entered. it was as he expected. the bed, the room also, was empty. and what was stranger, even to his heavyintelligence, on the bedroom chair and along the rail of the bed were scatteredthe garments, the only garments so far as he knew, and the bandages of their guest. his big slouch hat even was cocked jauntilyover the bed-post. as hall stood there he heard his wife'svoice coming out of the depth of the

cellar, with that rapid telescoping of thesyllables and interrogative cocking up of the final words to a high note, by which the west sussex villager is wont toindicate a brisk impatience. "george!you gart whad a wand?" at that he turned and hurried down to her. "janny," he said, over the rail of thecellar steps, "'tas the truth what henfrey sez.'e's not in uz room, 'e en't. and the front door's onbolted." at first mrs. hall did not understand, andas soon as she did she resolved to see the

empty room for herself.hall, still holding the bottle, went first. "if 'e en't there," he said, "'is closeare. and what's 'e doin' 'ithout 'is close,then? 'tas a most curious business." as they came up the cellar steps they both,it was afterwards ascertained, fancied they heard the front door open and shut, butseeing it closed and nothing there, neither said a word to the other about it at thetime. mrs. hall passed her husband in the passageand ran on first upstairs. someone sneezed on the staircase.

hall, following six steps behind, thoughtthat he heard her sneeze. she, going on first, was under theimpression that hall was sneezing. she flung open the door and stood regardingthe room. "of all the curious!" she said. she heard a sniff close behind her head asit seemed, and turning, was surprised to see hall a dozen feet off on the topmoststair. but in another moment he was beside her. she bent forward and put her hand on thepillow and then under the clothes. "cold," she said."he's been up this hour or more."

as she did so, a most extraordinary thinghappened. the bed-clothes gathered themselvestogether, leapt up suddenly into a sort of peak, and then jumped headlong over thebottom rail. it was exactly as if a hand had clutchedthem in the centre and flung them aside. immediately after, the stranger's hathopped off the bed-post, described a whirling flight in the air through thebetter part of a circle, and then dashed straight at mrs. hall's face. then as swiftly came the sponge from thewashstand; and then the chair, flinging the stranger's coat and trousers carelesslyaside, and laughing drily in a voice

singularly like the stranger's, turned itself up with its four legs at mrs. hall,seemed to take aim at her for a moment, and charged at her. she screamed and turned, and then the chairlegs came gently but firmly against her back and impelled her and hall out of theroom. the door slammed violently and was locked. the chair and bed seemed to be executing adance of triumph for a moment, and then abruptly everything was still. mrs. hall was left almost in a faintingcondition in mr. hall's arms on the

landing. it was with the greatest difficulty thatmr. hall and millie, who had been roused by her scream of alarm, succeeded in gettingher downstairs, and applying the restoratives customary in such cases. "'tas sperits," said mrs. hall."i know 'tas sperits. i've read in papers of en.tables and chairs leaping and dancing..." "take a drop more, janny," said hall. "'twill steady ye.""lock him out," said mrs. hall. "don't let him come in again.i half guessed--i might ha' known.

with them goggling eyes and bandaged head,and never going to church of a sunday. and all they bottles--more'n it's right forany one to have. he's put the sperits into the furniture.... my good old furniture!'twas in that very chair my poor dear mother used to sit when i was a littlegirl. to think it should rise up against me now!" "just a drop more, janny," said hall."your nerves is all upset." they sent millie across the street throughthe golden five o'clock sunshine to rouse up mr. sandy wadgers, the blacksmith.

mr. hall's compliments and the furnitureupstairs was behaving most extraordinary. would mr. wadgers come round?he was a knowing man, was mr. wadgers, and very resourceful. he took quite a grave view of the case."arm darmed if thet ent witchcraft," was the view of mr. sandy wadgers."you warnt horseshoes for such gentry as he." he came round greatly concerned.they wanted him to lead the way upstairs to the room, but he didn't seem to be in anyhurry. he preferred to talk in the passage.

over the way huxter's apprentice came outand began taking down the shutters of the tobacco window.he was called over to join the discussion. mr. huxter naturally followed over in thecourse of a few minutes. the anglo-saxon genius for parliamentarygovernment asserted itself; there was a great deal of talk and no decisive action. "let's have the facts first," insisted mr.sandy wadgers. "let's be sure we'd be acting perfectlyright in bustin' that there door open. a door onbust is always open to bustin',but ye can't onbust a door once you've busted en."

and suddenly and most wonderfully the doorof the room upstairs opened of its own accord, and as they looked up in amazement,they saw descending the stairs the muffled figure of the stranger staring more blackly and blankly than ever with thoseunreasonably large blue glass eyes of his. he came down stiffly and slowly, staringall the time; he walked across the passage staring, then stopped. "look there!" he said, and their eyesfollowed the direction of his gloved finger and saw a bottle of sarsaparilla hard bythe cellar door. then he entered the parlour, and suddenly,swiftly, viciously, slammed the door in

their faces.not a word was spoken until the last echoes of the slam had died away. they stared at one another."well, if that don't lick everything!" said mr. wadgers, and left the alternativeunsaid. "i'd go in and ask'n 'bout it," saidwadgers, to mr. hall. "i'd d'mand an explanation."it took some time to bring the landlady's husband up to that pitch. at last he rapped, opened the door, and gotas far as, "excuse me--" "go to the devil!" said the stranger in atremendous voice, and "shut that door after

you." so that brief interview terminated. chapter viithe unveiling of the stranger the stranger went into the little parlourof the "coach and horses" about half-past five in the morning, and there he remaineduntil near midday, the blinds down, the door shut, and none, after hall's repulse,venturing near him. all that time he must have fasted. thrice he rang his bell, the third timefuriously and continuously, but no one answered him."him and his 'go to the devil' indeed!"

said mrs. hall. presently came an imperfect rumour of theburglary at the vicarage, and two and two were put together. hall, assisted by wadgers, went off to findmr. shuckleforth, the magistrate, and take his advice.no one ventured upstairs. how the stranger occupied himself isunknown. now and then he would stride violently upand down, and twice came an outburst of curses, a tearing of paper, and a violentsmashing of bottles. the little group of scared but curiouspeople increased.

mrs. huxter came over; some gay youngfellows resplendent in black ready-made jackets and pique paper ties--for it waswhit monday--joined the group with confused interrogations. young archie harker distinguished himselfby going up the yard and trying to peep under the window-blinds. he could see nothing, but gave reason forsupposing that he did, and others of the iping youth presently joined him. it was the finest of all possible whitmondays, and down the village street stood a row of nearly a dozen booths, a shootinggallery, and on the grass by the forge were

three yellow and chocolate waggons and some picturesque strangers of both sexes puttingup a cocoanut shy. the gentlemen wore blue jerseys, the ladieswhite aprons and quite fashionable hats with heavy plumes. wodger, of the "purple fawn," and mr.jaggers, the cobbler, who also sold old second-hand ordinary bicycles, werestretching a string of union-jacks and royal ensigns (which had originally celebrated the first victorian jubilee)across the road. and inside, in the artificial darkness ofthe parlour, into which only one thin jet

of sunlight penetrated, the stranger,hungry we must suppose, and fearful, hidden in his uncomfortable hot wrappings, pored through his dark glasses upon his paper orchinked his dirty little bottles, and occasionally swore savagely at the boys,audible if invisible, outside the windows. in the corner by the fireplace lay thefragments of half a dozen smashed bottles, and a pungent twang of chlorine tainted theair. so much we know from what was heard at thetime and from what was subsequently seen in about noon he suddenly opened his parlourdoor and stood glaring fixedly at the three or four people in the bar."mrs. hall," he said.

somebody went sheepishly and called formrs. hall. mrs. hall appeared after an interval, alittle short of breath, but all the fiercer for that. hall was still out.she had deliberated over this scene, and she came holding a little tray with anunsettled bill upon it. "is it your bill you're wanting, sir?" shesaid. "why wasn't my breakfast laid?why haven't you prepared my meals and answered my bell? do you think i live without eating?""why isn't my bill paid?" said mrs. hall.

"that's what i want to know.""i told you three days ago i was awaiting a remittance--" "i told you two days ago i wasn't going toawait no remittances. you can't grumble if your breakfast waits abit, if my bill's been waiting these five days, can you?" the stranger swore briefly but vividly."nar, nar!" from the bar. "and i'd thank you kindly, sir, if you'dkeep your swearing to yourself, sir," said mrs. hall. the stranger stood looking more like anangry diving-helmet than ever.

it was universally felt in the bar thatmrs. hall had the better of him. his next words showed as much. "look here, my good woman--" he began."don't 'good woman' me," said mrs. hall. "i've told you my remittance hasn't come.""remittance indeed!" said mrs. hall. "still, i daresay in my pocket--" "you told me three days ago that you hadn'tanything but a sovereign's worth of silver upon you.""well, i've found some more--" "'ul-lo!" from the bar. "i wonder where you found it," said mrs.hall.

that seemed to annoy the stranger verymuch. he stamped his foot. "what do you mean?" he said."that i wonder where you found it," said "and before i take any bills or get anybreakfasts, or do any such things whatsoever, you got to tell me one or twothings i don't understand, and what nobody don't understand, and what everybody isvery anxious to understand. i want to know what you been doing t'mychair upstairs, and i want to know how 'tis your room was empty, and how you got inagain. them as stops in this house comes in by thedoors--that's the rule of the house, and

that you didn't do, and what i want to knowis how you did come in. and i want to know--" suddenly the stranger raised his glovedhands clenched, stamped his foot, and said, "stop!" with such extraordinary violencethat he silenced her instantly. "you don't understand," he said, "who i amor what i am. i'll show you.by heaven! i'll show you." then he put his open palm over his face andwithdrew it. the centre of his face became a blackcavity.

"here," he said. he stepped forward and handed mrs. hallsomething which she, staring at his metamorphosed face, accepted automatically. then, when she saw what it was, shescreamed loudly, dropped it, and staggered back.the nose--it was the stranger's nose! pink and shining--rolled on the floor. then he removed his spectacles, andeveryone in the bar gasped. he took off his hat, and with a violentgesture tore at his whiskers and bandages. for a moment they resisted him.

a flash of horrible anticipation passedthrough the bar. "oh, my gard!" said some one.then off they came. it was worse than anything. mrs. hall, standing open-mouthed andhorror-struck, shrieked at what she saw, and made for the door of the house.everyone began to move. they were prepared for scars,disfigurements, tangible horrors, but nothing! the bandages and false hair flew across thepassage into the bar, making a hobbledehoy jump to avoid them.everyone tumbled on everyone else down the

steps. for the man who stood there shouting someincoherent explanation, was a solid gesticulating figure up to the coat-collarof him, and then--nothingness, no visible thing at all! people down the village heard shouts andshrieks, and looking up the street saw the "coach and horses" violently firing out itshumanity. they saw mrs. hall fall down and mr. teddyhenfrey jump to avoid tumbling over her, and then they heard the frightful screamsof millie, who, emerging suddenly from the kitchen at the noise of the tumult, had

come upon the headless stranger frombehind. these increased suddenly. forthwith everyone all down the street, thesweetstuff seller, cocoanut shy proprietor and his assistant, the swing man, littleboys and girls, rustic dandies, smart wenches, smocked elders and aproned gipsies--began running towards the inn, andin a miraculously short space of time a crowd of perhaps forty people, and rapidlyincreasing, swayed and hooted and inquired and exclaimed and suggested, in front ofmrs. hall's establishment. everyone seemed eager to talk at once, andthe result was babel.

a small group supported mrs. hall, who waspicked up in a state of collapse. there was a conference, and the incredibleevidence of a vociferous eye-witness. "o bogey!" "what's he been doin', then?""ain't hurt the girl, 'as 'e?" "run at en with a knife, i believe.""no 'ed, i tell ye. i don't mean no manner of speaking. i mean marn 'ithout a 'ed!""narnsense! 'tis some conjuring trick.""fetched off 'is wrapping, 'e did--" in its struggles to see in through the opendoor, the crowd formed itself into a

straggling wedge, with the more adventurousapex nearest the inn. "he stood for a moment, i heerd the galscream, and he turned. i saw her skirts whisk, and he went afterher. didn't take ten seconds. back he comes with a knife in uz hand anda loaf; stood just as if he was staring. not a moment ago.went in that there door. i tell 'e, 'e ain't gart no 'ed at all. you just missed en--" there was a disturbance behind, and thespeaker stopped to step aside for a little

procession that was marching veryresolutely towards the house; first mr. hall, very red and determined, then mr. bobby jaffers, the village constable, andthen the wary mr. wadgers. they had come now armed with a warrant.people shouted conflicting information of the recent circumstances. "'ed or no 'ed," said jaffers, "i got to'rest en, and 'rest en i will." mr. hall marched up the steps, marchedstraight to the door of the parlour and flung it open. "constable," he said, "do your duty."jaffers marched in.

hall next, wadgers last. they saw in the dim light the headlessfigure facing them, with a gnawed crust of bread in one gloved hand and a chunk ofcheese in the other. "that's him!" said hall. "what the devil's this?" came in a tone ofangry expostulation from above the collar of the figure."you're a damned rum customer, mister," said mr. jaffers. "but 'ed or no 'ed, the warrant says'body,' and duty's duty--" "keep off!" said the figure, starting back.

abruptly he whipped down the bread andcheese, and mr. hall just grasped the knife on the table in time to save it.off came the stranger's left glove and was slapped in jaffers' face. in another moment jaffers, cutting shortsome statement concerning a warrant, had gripped him by the handless wrist andcaught his invisible throat. he got a sounding kick on the shin thatmade him shout, but he kept his grip. hall sent the knife sliding along the tableto wadgers, who acted as goal-keeper for the offensive, so to speak, and thenstepped forward as jaffers and the stranger swayed and staggered towards him, clutchingand hitting in.

a chair stood in the way, and went asidewith a crash as they came down together. "get the feet," said jaffers between histeeth. mr. hall, endeavouring to act oninstructions, received a sounding kick in the ribs that disposed of him for a moment,and mr. wadgers, seeing the decapitated stranger had rolled over and got the upper side of jaffers, retreated towards thedoor, knife in hand, and so collided with mr. huxter and the sidderbridge cartercoming to the rescue of law and order. at the same moment down came three or fourbottles from the chiffonnier and shot a web of pungency into the air of the room.

"i'll surrender," cried the stranger,though he had jaffers down, and in another moment he stood up panting, a strangefigure, headless and handless--for he had pulled off his right glove now as well ashis left. "it's no good," he said, as if sobbing forbreath. it was the strangest thing in the world tohear that voice coming as if out of empty space, but the sussex peasants are perhapsthe most matter-of-fact people under the sun. jaffers got up also and produced a pair ofhandcuffs. then he stared.

"i say!" said jaffers, brought up short bya dim realization of the incongruity of the whole business, "darn it!can't use 'em as i can see." the stranger ran his arm down hiswaistcoat, and as if by a miracle the buttons to which his empty sleeve pointedbecame undone. then he said something about his shin, andstooped down. he seemed to be fumbling with his shoes andsocks. "why!" said huxter, suddenly, "that's not aman at all. it's just empty clothes.look! you can see down his collar and the liningsof his clothes.

i could put my arm--" he extended his hand; it seemed to meetsomething in mid-air, and he drew it back with a sharp exclamation. "i wish you'd keep your fingers out of myeye," said the aerial voice, in a tone of savage expostulation. "the fact is, i'm all here--head, hands,legs, and all the rest of it, but it happens i'm invisible.it's a confounded nuisance, but i am. that's no reason why i should be poked topieces by every stupid bumpkin in iping, is it?"

the suit of clothes, now all unbuttoned andhanging loosely upon its unseen supports, stood up, arms akimbo. several other of the men folks had nowentered the room, so that it was closely crowded."invisible, eh?" said huxter, ignoring the stranger's abuse. "who ever heard the likes of that?""it's strange, perhaps, but it's not a crime.why am i assaulted by a policeman in this fashion?" "ah! that's a different matter," saidjaffers.

"no doubt you are a bit difficult to see inthis light, but i got a warrant and it's all correct. what i'm after ain't no invisibility,--it'sburglary. there's a house been broke into and moneytook." "and circumstances certainly point--""stuff and nonsense!" said the invisible man."i hope so, sir; but i've got my instructions." "well," said the stranger, "i'll come.i'll come. but no handcuffs.""it's the regular thing," said jaffers.

"no handcuffs," stipulated the stranger. "pardon me," said jaffers.abruptly the figure sat down, and before any one could realise was was being done,the slippers, socks, and trousers had been kicked off under the table. then he sprang up again and flung off hiscoat. "here, stop that," said jaffers, suddenlyrealising what was happening. he gripped at the waistcoat; it struggled,and the shirt slipped out of it and left it limply and empty in his hand."hold him!" said jaffers, loudly. "once he gets the things off--"

"hold him!" cried everyone, and there was arush at the fluttering white shirt which was now all that was visible of thestranger. the shirt-sleeve planted a shrewd blow inhall's face that stopped his open-armed advance, and sent him backward into oldtoothsome the sexton, and in another moment the garment was lifted up and became convulsed and vacantly flapping about thearms, even as a shirt that is being thrust over a man's head. jaffers clutched at it, and only helped topull it off; he was struck in the mouth out of the air, and incontinently threw histruncheon and smote teddy henfrey savagely

upon the crown of his head. "look out!" said everybody, fencing atrandom and hitting at nothing. "hold him!shut the door! don't let him loose! i got something!here he is!" a perfect babel of noises they made. everybody, it seemed, was being hit all atonce, and sandy wadgers, knowing as ever and his wits sharpened by a frightful blowin the nose, reopened the door and led the rout.

the others, following incontinently, werejammed for a moment in the corner by the doorway.the hitting continued. phipps, the unitarian, had a front toothbroken, and henfrey was injured in the cartilage of his ear. jaffers was struck under the jaw, and,turning, caught at something that intervened between him and huxter in themelee, and prevented their coming together. he felt a muscular chest, and in anothermoment the whole mass of struggling, excited men shot out into the crowded hall. "i got him!" shouted jaffers, choking andreeling through them all, and wrestling

with purple face and swelling veins againsthis unseen enemy. men staggered right and left as theextraordinary conflict swayed swiftly towards the house door, and went spinningdown the half-dozen steps of the inn. jaffers cried in a strangled voice--holdingtight, nevertheless, and making play with his knee--spun around, and fell heavilyundermost with his head on the gravel. only then did his fingers relax. there were excited cries of "hold him!" "invisible!" and so forth, and a youngfellow, a stranger in the place whose name did not come to light, rushed in at once,caught something, missed his hold, and fell

over the constable's prostrate body. half-way across the road a woman screamedas something pushed by her; a dog, kicked apparently, yelped and ran howling intohuxter's yard, and with that the transit of the invisible man was accomplished. for a space people stood amazed andgesticulating, and then came panic, and scattered them abroad through the villageas a gust scatters dead leaves. but jaffers lay quite still, face upwardand knees bent, at the foot of the steps of the inn. -chapter viiiin transit

the eighth chapter is exceedingly brief,and relates that gibbons, the amateur naturalist of the district, while lying outon the spacious open downs without a soul within a couple of miles of him, as he thought, and almost dozing, heard close tohim the sound as of a man coughing, sneezing, and then swearing savagely tohimself; and looking, beheld nothing. yet the voice was indisputable. it continued to swear with that breadth andvariety that distinguishes the swearing of a cultivated man. it grew to a climax, diminished again, anddied away in the distance, going as it

seemed to him in the direction ofadderdean. it lifted to a spasmodic sneeze and ended. gibbons had heard nothing of the morning'soccurrences, but the phenomenon was so striking and disturbing that hisphilosophical tranquillity vanished; he got up hastily, and hurried down the steepness of the hill towards the village, as fast ashe could go. chapter ixmr. thomas marvel you must picture mr. thomas marvel as aperson of copious, flexible visage, a nose of cylindrical protrusion, a liquorish,ample, fluctuating mouth, and a beard of

bristling eccentricity. his figure inclined to embonpoint; hisshort limbs accentuated this inclination. he wore a furry silk hat, and the frequentsubstitution of twine and shoe-laces for buttons, apparent at critical points of hiscostume, marked a man essentially bachelor. mr. thomas marvel was sitting with his feetin a ditch by the roadside over the down towards adderdean, about a mile and a halfout of iping. his feet, save for socks of irregular open-work, were bare, his big toes were broad, and pricked like the ears of a watchfuldog. in a leisurely manner--he did everything ina leisurely manner--he was contemplating

trying on a pair of boots. they were the soundest boots he had comeacross for a long time, but too large for him; whereas the ones he had were, in dryweather, a very comfortable fit, but too thin-soled for damp. mr. thomas marvel hated roomy shoes, butthen he hated damp. he had never properly thought out which hehated most, and it was a pleasant day, and there was nothing better to do. so he put the four shoes in a gracefulgroup on the turf and looked at them. and seeing them there among the grass andspringing agrimony, it suddenly occurred to

him that both pairs were exceedingly uglyto see. he was not at all startled by a voicebehind him. "they're boots, anyhow," said the voice. "they are--charity boots," said mr. thomasmarvel, with his head on one side regarding them distastefully; "and which is theugliest pair in the whole blessed universe, i'm darned if i know!" "h'm," said the voice."i've worn worse--in fact, i've worn none. but none so owdacious ugly--if you'll allowthe expression. i've been cadging boots--in particular--fordays.

because i was sick of them.they're sound enough, of course. but a gentleman on tramp sees such athundering lot of his boots. and if you'll believe me, i've raisednothing in the whole blessed country, try as i would, but them. look at 'em!and a good country for boots, too, in a general way.but it's just my promiscuous luck. i've got my boots in this country ten yearsor more. and then they treat you like this.""it's a beast of a country," said the voice.

"and pigs for people.""ain't it?" said mr. thomas marvel. "lord!but them boots! it beats it." he turned his head over his shoulder to theright, to look at the boots of his interlocutor with a view to comparisons,and lo! where the boots of his interlocutor should have been were neither legs norboots. he was irradiated by the dawn of a greatamazement. "where are yer?" said mr. thomas marvelover his shoulder and coming on all fours. he saw a stretch of empty downs with thewind swaying the remote green-pointed furze

bushes. "am i drunk?" said mr. marvel."have i had visions? was i talking to myself?what the--" "don't be alarmed," said a voice. "none of your ventriloquising me," said mr.thomas marvel, rising sharply to his feet. "where are yer?alarmed, indeed!" "don't be alarmed," repeated the voice. "you'll be alarmed in a minute, you sillyfool," said mr. thomas marvel. "where are yer?lemme get my mark on yer...

"are yer buried?" said mr. thomas marvel,after an interval. there was no answer.mr. thomas marvel stood bootless and amazed, his jacket nearly thrown off. "peewit," said a peewit, very remote."peewit, indeed!" said mr. thomas marvel. "this ain't no time for foolery." the down was desolate, east and west, northand south; the road with its shallow ditches and white bordering stakes, ransmooth and empty north and south, and, save for that peewit, the blue sky was emptytoo. "so help me," said mr. thomas marvel,shuffling his coat on to his shoulders

"it's the drink!i might ha' known." "it's not the drink," said the voice."you keep your nerves steady." "ow!" said mr. marvel, and his face grewwhite amidst its patches. "it's the drink!" his lips repeatednoiselessly. he remained staring about him, rotatingslowly backwards. "i could have swore i heard a voice," hewhispered. "of course you did." "it's there again," said mr. marvel,closing his eyes and clasping his hand on his brow with a tragic gesture.

he was suddenly taken by the collar andshaken violently, and left more dazed than ever."don't be a fool," said the voice. "i'm--off--my--blooming--chump," said mr.marvel. "it's no good.it's fretting about them blarsted boots. i'm off my blessed blooming chump. or it's spirits.""neither one thing nor the other," said the voice."listen!" "chump," said mr. marvel. "one minute," said the voice,penetratingly, tremulous with self-control.

"well?" said mr. thomas marvel, with astrange feeling of having been dug in the chest by a finger. "you think i'm just imagination?just imagination?" "what else can you be?" said mr. thomasmarvel, rubbing the back of his neck. "very well," said the voice, in a tone ofrelief. "then i'm going to throw flints at you tillyou think differently." "but where are yer?" the voice made no answer.whizz came a flint, apparently out of the air, and missed mr. marvel's shoulder by ahair's-breadth.

mr. marvel, turning, saw a flint jerk upinto the air, trace a complicated path, hang for a moment, and then fling at hisfeet with almost invisible rapidity. he was too amazed to dodge. whizz it came, and ricochetted from a baretoe into the ditch. mr. thomas marvel jumped a foot and howledaloud. then he started to run, tripped over anunseen obstacle, and came head over heels into a sitting position. "now," said the voice, as a third stonecurved upward and hung in the air above the tramp."am i imagination?"

mr. marvel by way of reply struggled to hisfeet, and was immediately rolled over again.he lay quiet for a moment. "if you struggle any more," said the voice,"i shall throw the flint at your head." "it's a fair do," said mr. thomas marvel,sitting up, taking his wounded toe in hand and fixing his eye on the third missile. "i don't understand it.stones flinging themselves. stones talking.put yourself down. rot away. i'm done."the third flint fell.

"it's very simple," said the voice."i'm an invisible man." "tell us something i don't know," said mr.marvel, gasping with pain. "where you've hid--how you do it--i don'tknow. i'm beat." "that's all," said the voice."i'm invisible. that's what i want you to understand.""anyone could see that. there is no need for you to be soconfounded impatient, mister. now then.give us a notion. how are you hid?"

"i'm invisible.that's the great point. and what i want you to understand is this--" "but whereabouts?" interrupted mr. marvel. "here!six yards in front of you." "oh, come!i ain't blind. you'll be telling me next you're just thinair. i'm not one of your ignorant tramps--""yes, i am--thin air. you're looking through me." "what!ain't there any stuff to you.

vox et--what is it?--jabber.is it that?" "i am just a human being--solid, needingfood and drink, needing covering too--but i'm invisible.you see? invisible. simple idea.invisible." "what, real like?""yes, real." "let's have a hand of you," said marvel,"if you are real. it won't be so darn out-of-the-way like,then--lord!" he said, "how you made me jump!--gripping me like that!"

he felt the hand that had closed round hiswrist with his disengaged fingers, and his fingers went timorously up the arm, patteda muscular chest, and explored a bearded face. marvel's face was astonishment."i'm dashed!" he said. "if this don't beat cock-fighting!most remarkable!--and there i can see a rabbit clean through you, 'arf a mile away! not a bit of you visible--except--"he scrutinised the apparently empty space keenly."you 'aven't been eatin' bread and cheese?" he asked, holding the invisible arm.

"you're quite right, and it's not quiteassimilated into the system." "ah!" said mr. marvel."sort of ghostly, though." "of course, all this isn't half sowonderful as you think." "it's quite wonderful enough for my modestwants," said mr. thomas marvel. "howjer manage it! how the dooce is it done?""it's too long a story. and besides--""i tell you, the whole business fairly beats me," said mr. marvel. "what i want to say at present is this: ineed help.

i have come to that--i came upon yousuddenly. i was wandering, mad with rage, naked,impotent. i could have murdered.and i saw you--" "lord!" said mr. marvel. "i came up behind you--hesitated--went on--" mr. marvel's expression was eloquent."--then stopped. 'here,' i said, 'is an outcast like myself. this is the man for me.'so i turned back and came to you--you. and--""lord!" said mr. marvel.

"but i'm all in a tizzy. may i ask--how is it?and what you may be requiring in the way of help?--invisible!""i want you to help me get clothes--and shelter--and then, with other things. i've left them long enough.if you won't--well! but you will--must.""look here," said mr. marvel. "i'm too flabbergasted. don't knock me about any more.and leave me go. i must get steady a bit.and you've pretty near broken my toe.

it's all so unreasonable. empty downs, empty sky.nothing visible for miles except the bosom of nature.and then comes a voice. a voice out of heaven! and stones!and a fist--lord!" "pull yourself together," said the voice,"for you have to do the job i've chosen for mr. marvel blew out his cheeks, and hiseyes were round. "i've chosen you," said the voice. "you are the only man except some of thosefools down there, who knows there is such a

thing as an invisible man.you have to be my helper. help me--and i will do great things foryou. an invisible man is a man of power."he stopped for a moment to sneeze violently. "but if you betray me," he said, "if youfail to do as i direct you--" he paused and tapped mr. marvel's shoulder smartly.mr. marvel gave a yelp of terror at the touch. "i don't want to betray you," said mr.marvel, edging away from the direction of the fingers."don't you go a-thinking that, whatever you

do. all i want to do is to help you--just tellme what i got to do. (lord!)whatever you want done, that i'm most willing to do." chapter xmr. marvel's visit to iping after the first gusty panic had spentitself iping became argumentative. scepticism suddenly reared its head--rathernervous scepticism, not at all assured of its back, but scepticism nevertheless. it is so much easier not to believe in aninvisible man; and those who had actually

seen him dissolve into air, or felt thestrength of his arm, could be counted on the fingers of two hands. and of these witnesses mr. wadgers waspresently missing, having retired impregnably behind the bolts and bars ofhis own house, and jaffers was lying stunned in the parlour of the "coach andhorses." great and strange ideas transcendingexperience often have less effect upon men and women than smaller, more tangibleconsiderations. iping was gay with bunting, and everybodywas in gala dress. whit monday had been looked forward to fora month or more.

by the afternoon even those who believed inthe unseen were beginning to resume their little amusements in a tentative fashion,on the supposition that he had quite gone away, and with the sceptics he was alreadya jest. but people, sceptics and believers alike,were remarkably sociable all that day. haysman's meadow was gay with a tent, inwhich mrs. bunting and other ladies were preparing tea, while, without, the sunday-school children ran races and played games under the noisy guidance of the curate andthe misses cuss and sackbut. no doubt there was a slight uneasiness inthe air, but people for the most part had the sense to conceal whatever imaginativequalms they experienced.

on the village green an inclined strong[word missing?], down which, clinging the while to a pulley-swung handle, one couldbe hurled violently against a sack at the other end, came in for considerable favour among the adolescent, as also did theswings and the cocoanut shies. there was also promenading, and the steamorgan attached to a small roundabout filled the air with a pungent flavour of oil andwith equally pungent music. members of the club, who had attendedchurch in the morning, were splendid in badges of pink and green, and some of thegayer-minded had also adorned their bowler hats with brilliant-coloured favours ofribbon.

old fletcher, whose conceptions of holiday-making were severe, was visible through the jasmine about his window or through theopen door (whichever way you chose to look), poised delicately on a plank supported on two chairs, and whitewashingthe ceiling of his front room. about four o'clock a stranger entered thevillage from the direction of the downs. he was a short, stout person in anextraordinarily shabby top hat, and he appeared to be very much out of breath.his cheeks were alternately limp and tightly puffed. his mottled face was apprehensive, and hemoved with a sort of reluctant alacrity.

he turned the corner of the church, anddirected his way to the "coach and horses." among others old fletcher remembers seeinghim, and indeed the old gentleman was so struck by his peculiar agitation that heinadvertently allowed a quantity of whitewash to run down the brush into thesleeve of his coat while regarding him. this stranger, to the perceptions of theproprietor of the cocoanut shy, appeared to be talking to himself, and mr. huxterremarked the same thing. he stopped at the foot of the "coach andhorses" steps, and, according to mr. huxter, appeared to undergo a severeinternal struggle before he could induce himself to enter the house.

finally he marched up the steps, and wasseen by mr. huxter to turn to the left and open the door of the parlour. mr. huxter heard voices from within theroom and from the bar apprising the man of his error. "that room's private!" said hall, and thestranger shut the door clumsily and went into the bar. in the course of a few minutes hereappeared, wiping his lips with the back of his hand with an air of quietsatisfaction that somehow impressed mr. huxter as assumed.

he stood looking about him for somemoments, and then mr. huxter saw him walk in an oddly furtive manner towards thegates of the yard, upon which the parlour window opened. the stranger, after some hesitation, leantagainst one of the gate-posts, produced a short clay pipe, and prepared to fill it.his fingers trembled while doing so. he lit it clumsily, and folding his armsbegan to smoke in a languid attitude, an attitude which his occasional glances upthe yard altogether belied. all this mr. huxter saw over the canistersof the tobacco window, and the singularity of the man's behaviour prompted him tomaintain his observation.

presently the stranger stood up abruptlyand put his pipe in his pocket. then he vanished into the yard. forthwith mr. huxter, conceiving he waswitness of some petty larceny, leapt round his counter and ran out into the road tointercept the thief. as he did so, mr. marvel reappeared, hishat askew, a big bundle in a blue table- cloth in one hand, and three books tiedtogether--as it proved afterwards with the vicar's braces--in the other. directly he saw huxter he gave a sort ofgasp, and turning sharply to the left, began to run."stop, thief!" cried huxter, and set off

after him. mr. huxter's sensations were vivid butbrief. he saw the man just before him and spurtingbriskly for the church corner and the hill road. he saw the village flags and festivitiesbeyond, and a face or so turned towards him.he bawled, "stop!" again. he had hardly gone ten strides before hisshin was caught in some mysterious fashion, and he was no longer running, but flyingwith inconceivable rapidity through the air.

he saw the ground suddenly close to hisface. the world seemed to splash into a millionwhirling specks of light, and subsequent proceedings interested him no more. -chapter xiin the "coach and horses" now in order clearly to understand what hadhappened in the inn, it is necessary to go back to the moment when mr. marvel firstcame into view of mr. huxter's window. at that precise moment mr. cuss and mr.bunting were in the parlour. they were seriously investigating thestrange occurrences of the morning, and were, with mr. hall's permission, making athorough examination of the invisible man's

belongings. jaffers had partially recovered from hisfall and had gone home in the charge of his sympathetic friends. the stranger's scattered garments had beenremoved by mrs. hall and the room tidied up. and on the table under the window where thestranger had been wont to work, cuss had hit almost at once on three big books inmanuscript labelled "diary." "diary!" said cuss, putting the three bookson the table. "now, at any rate, we shall learnsomething."

the vicar stood with his hands on thetable. "diary," repeated cuss, sitting down,putting two volumes to support the third, and opening it. "h'm--no name on the fly-leaf.bother!--cypher. and figures."the vicar came round to look over his shoulder. cuss turned the pages over with a facesuddenly disappointed. "i'm--dear me!it's all cypher, bunting." "there are no diagrams?" asked mr. bunting.

"no illustrations throwing light--""see for yourself," said mr. cuss. "some of it's mathematical and some of it'srussian or some such language (to judge by the letters), and some of it's greek. now the greek i thought you--" "of course," said mr. bunting, taking outand wiping his spectacles and feeling suddenly very uncomfortable--for he had nogreek left in his mind worth talking about; "yes--the greek, of course, may furnish aclue." "i'll find you a place.""i'd rather glance through the volumes first," said mr. bunting, still wiping.

"a general impression first, cuss, andthen, you know, we can go looking for clues." he coughed, put on his glasses, arrangedthem fastidiously, coughed again, and wished something would happen to avert theseemingly inevitable exposure. then he took the volume cuss handed him ina leisurely manner. and then something did happen.the door opened suddenly. both gentlemen started violently, lookedround, and were relieved to see a sporadically rosy face beneath a furry silkhat. "tap?" asked the face, and stood staring.

"no," said both gentlemen at once."over the other side, my man," said mr. bunting.and "please shut that door," said mr. cuss, irritably. "all right," said the intruder, as itseemed in a low voice curiously different from the huskiness of its first inquiry."right you are," said the intruder in the former voice. "stand clear!" and he vanished and closedthe door. "a sailor, i should judge," said mr.bunting. "amusing fellows, they are.

stand clear! indeed.a nautical term, referring to his getting back out of the room, i suppose.""i daresay so," said cuss. "my nerves are all loose to-day. it quite made me jump--the door openinglike that." mr. bunting smiled as if he had not jumped."and now," he said with a sigh, "these books." someone sniffed as he did so."one thing is indisputable," said bunting, drawing up a chair next to that of cuss. "there certainly have been very strangethings happen in iping during the last few

days--very strange.i cannot of course believe in this absurd invisibility story--" "it's incredible," said cuss--"incredible.but the fact remains that i saw--i certainly saw right down his sleeve--""but did you--are you sure? suppose a mirror, for instance--hallucinations are so easily produced. i don't know if you have ever seen a reallygood conjuror--" "i won't argue again," said cuss. "we've thrashed that out, bunting.and just now there's these books--ah! here's some of what i take to be greek!greek letters certainly."

he pointed to the middle of the page. mr. bunting flushed slightly and broughthis face nearer, apparently finding some difficulty with his glasses.suddenly he became aware of a strange feeling at the nape of his neck. he tried to raise his head, and encounteredan immovable resistance. the feeling was a curious pressure, thegrip of a heavy, firm hand, and it bore his chin irresistibly to the table. "don't move, little men," whispered avoice, "or i'll brain you both!" he looked into the face of cuss, close tohis own, and each saw a horrified

reflection of his own sickly astonishment. "i'm sorry to handle you so roughly," saidthe voice, "but it's unavoidable." "since when did you learn to pry into aninvestigator's private memoranda," said the voice; and two chins struck the tablesimultaneously, and two sets of teeth rattled. "since when did you learn to invade theprivate rooms of a man in misfortune?" and the concussion was repeated."where have they put my clothes?" "listen," said the voice. "the windows are fastened and i've takenthe key out of the door.

i am a fairly strong man, and i have thepoker handy--besides being invisible. there's not the slightest doubt that icould kill you both and get away quite easily if i wanted to--do you understand?very well. if i let you go will you promise not to tryany nonsense and do what i tell you?" the vicar and the doctor looked at oneanother, and the doctor pulled a face. "yes," said mr. bunting, and the doctorrepeated it. then the pressure on the necks relaxed, andthe doctor and the vicar sat up, both very red in the face and wriggling their heads. "please keep sitting where you are," saidthe invisible man.

"here's the poker, you see." "when i came into this room," continued theinvisible man, after presenting the poker to the tip of the nose of each of hisvisitors, "i did not expect to find it occupied, and i expected to find, in addition to my books of memoranda, anoutfit of clothing. where is it?no--don't rise. i can see it's gone. now, just at present, though the days arequite warm enough for an invisible man to run about stark, the evenings are quitechilly.

i want clothing--and other accommodation;and i must also have those three books." chapter xiithe invisible man loses his temper it is unavoidable that at this point thenarrative should break off again, for a certain very painful reason that willpresently be apparent. while these things were going on in theparlour, and while mr. huxter was watching mr. marvel smoking his pipe against thegate, not a dozen yards away were mr. hall and teddy henfrey discussing in a state ofcloudy puzzlement the one iping topic. suddenly there came a violent thud againstthe door of the parlour, a sharp cry, and then--silence.

"hul-lo!" said teddy henfrey."hul-lo!" from the tap. mr. hall took things in slowly but surely. "that ain't right," he said, and came roundfrom behind the bar towards the parlour door.he and teddy approached the door together, with intent faces. their eyes considered."summat wrong," said hall, and henfrey nodded agreement. whiffs of an unpleasant chemical odour metthem, and there was a muffled sound of conversation, very rapid and subdued."you all right thur?" asked hall, rapping.

the muttered conversation ceased abruptly,for a moment silence, then the conversation was resumed, in hissing whispers, then asharp cry of "no! no, you don't!" there came a sudden motion and theoversetting of a chair, a brief struggle. silence again."what the dooce?" exclaimed henfrey, sotto voce. "you--all--right thur?" asked mr. hall,sharply, again. the vicar's voice answered with a curiousjerking intonation: "quite ri-right. please don't--interrupt." "odd!" said mr. henfrey."odd!" said mr. hall.

"says, 'don't interrupt,'" said henfrey."i heerd'n," said hall. "and a sniff," said henfrey. they remained listening.the conversation was rapid and subdued. "i can't," said mr. bunting, his voicerising; "i tell you, sir, i will not." "what was that?" asked henfrey. "says he wi' nart," said hall."warn't speaking to us, wuz he?" "disgraceful!" said mr. bunting, within."'disgraceful,'" said mr. henfrey. "i heard it--distinct." "who's that speaking now?" asked henfrey."mr. cuss, i s'pose," said hall.

"can you hear--anything?"silence. the sounds within indistinct andperplexing. "sounds like throwing the table-clothabout," said hall. mrs. hall appeared behind the bar. hall made gestures of silence andinvitation. this aroused mrs. hall's wifely opposition."what yer listenin' there for, hall?" she asked. "ain't you nothin' better to do--busy daylike this?" hall tried to convey everything by grimacesand dumb show, but mrs. hall was obdurate.

she raised her voice. so hall and henfrey, rather crestfallen,tiptoed back to the bar, gesticulating to explain to her.at first she refused to see anything in what they had heard at all. then she insisted on hall keeping silence,while henfrey told her his story. she was inclined to think the wholebusiness nonsense--perhaps they were just moving the furniture about. "i heerd'n say 'disgraceful'; that i did,"said hall. "i heerd that, mrs. hall," said henfrey."like as not--" began mrs. hall.

"hsh!" said mr. teddy henfrey. "didn't i hear the window?""what window?" asked mrs. hall. "parlour window," said henfrey.everyone stood listening intently. mrs. hall's eyes, directed straight beforeher, saw without seeing the brilliant oblong of the inn door, the road white andvivid, and huxter's shop-front blistering in the june sun. abruptly huxter's door opened and huxterappeared, eyes staring with excitement, arms gesticulating."yap!" cried huxter. "stop thief!" and he ran obliquely acrossthe oblong towards the yard gates, and

vanished. simultaneously came a tumult from theparlour, and a sound of windows being closed. hall, henfrey, and the human contents ofthe tap rushed out at once pell-mell into the street. they saw someone whisk round the cornertowards the road, and mr. huxter executing a complicated leap in the air that ended onhis face and shoulder. down the street people were standingastonished or running towards them. mr. huxter was stunned.

henfrey stopped to discover this, but halland the two labourers from the tap rushed at once to the corner, shouting incoherentthings, and saw mr. marvel vanishing by the corner of the church wall. they appear to have jumped to theimpossible conclusion that this was the invisible man suddenly become visible, andset off at once along the lane in pursuit. but hall had hardly run a dozen yardsbefore he gave a loud shout of astonishment and went flying headlong sideways,clutching one of the labourers and bringing him to the ground. he had been charged just as one charges aman at football.

the second labourer came round in a circle,stared, and conceiving that hall had tumbled over of his own accord, turned toresume the pursuit, only to be tripped by the ankle just as huxter had been. then, as the first labourer struggled tohis feet, he was kicked sideways by a blow that might have felled an ox. as he went down, the rush from thedirection of the village green came round the corner. the first to appear was the proprietor ofthe cocoanut shy, a burly man in a blue jersey.

he was astonished to see the lane emptysave for three men sprawling absurdly on the ground. and then something happened to his rear-most foot, and he went headlong and rolled sideways just in time to graze the feet ofhis brother and partner, following headlong. the two were then kicked, knelt on, fallenover, and cursed by quite a number of over- hasty people. now when hall and henfrey and the labourersran out of the house, mrs. hall, who had been disciplined by years of experience,remained in the bar next the till.

and suddenly the parlour door was opened,and mr. cuss appeared, and without glancing at her rushed at once down the steps towardthe corner. "hold him!" he cried. "don't let him drop that parcel."he knew nothing of the existence of marvel. for the invisible man had handed over thebooks and bundle in the yard. the face of mr. cuss was angry andresolute, but his costume was defective, a sort of limp white kilt that could onlyhave passed muster in greece. "hold him!" he bawled. "he's got my trousers!and every stitch of the vicar's clothes!"

"'tend to him in a minute!" he cried tohenfrey as he passed the prostrate huxter, and, coming round the corner to join thetumult, was promptly knocked off his feet into an indecorous sprawl. somebody in full flight trod heavily on hisfinger. he yelled, struggled to regain his feet,was knocked against and thrown on all fours again, and became aware that he wasinvolved not in a capture, but a rout. everyone was running back to the village. he rose again and was hit severely behindthe ear. he staggered and set off back to the "coachand horses" forthwith, leaping over the

deserted huxter, who was now sitting up, onhis way. behind him as he was halfway up the innsteps he heard a sudden yell of rage, rising sharply out of the confusion ofcries, and a sounding smack in someone's he recognised the voice as that of theinvisible man, and the note was that of a man suddenly infuriated by a painful blow.in another moment mr. cuss was back in the parlour. "he's coming back, bunting!" he said,rushing in. "save yourself!" mr. bunting was standing in the windowengaged in an attempt to clothe himself in

the hearth-rug and a west surrey gazette. "who's coming?" he said, so startled thathis costume narrowly escaped disintegration."invisible man," said cuss, and rushed on to the window. "we'd better clear out from here!he's fighting mad! mad!"in another moment he was out in the yard. "good heavens!" said mr. bunting,hesitating between two horrible alternatives. he heard a frightful struggle in thepassage of the inn, and his decision was

made. he clambered out of the window, adjustedhis costume hastily, and fled up the village as fast as his fat little legswould carry him. from the moment when the invisible manscreamed with rage and mr. bunting made his memorable flight up the village, it becameimpossible to give a consecutive account of affairs in iping. possibly the invisible man's originalintention was simply to cover marvel's retreat with the clothes and books. but his temper, at no time very good, seemsto have gone completely at some chance

blow, and forthwith he set to smiting andoverthrowing, for the mere satisfaction of hurting. you must figure the street full of runningfigures, of doors slamming and fights for hiding-places. you must figure the tumult suddenlystriking on the unstable equilibrium of old fletcher's planks and two chairs--withcataclysmic results. you must figure an appalled couple caughtdismally in a swing. and then the whole tumultuous rush haspassed and the iping street with its gauds and flags is deserted save for the stillraging unseen, and littered with cocoanuts,

overthrown canvas screens, and the scattered stock in trade of a sweetstuffstall. everywhere there is a sound of closingshutters and shoving bolts, and the only visible humanity is an occasional flittingeye under a raised eyebrow in the corner of a window pane. the invisible man amused himself for alittle while by breaking all the windows in the "coach and horses," and then he thrusta street lamp through the parlour window of mrs. gribble. he it must have been who cut the telegraphwire to adderdean just beyond higgins'

cottage on the adderdean road. and after that, as his peculiar qualitiesallowed, he passed out of human perceptions altogether, and he was neither heard, seen,nor felt in iping any more. he vanished absolutely. but it was the best part of two hoursbefore any human being ventured out again into the desolation of iping street. -chapter xiiimr. marvel discusses his resignation when the dusk was gathering and iping wasjust beginning to peep timorously forth again upon the shattered wreckage of itsbank holiday, a short, thick-set man in a

shabby silk hat was marching painfully through the twilight behind the beechwoodson the road to bramblehurst. he carried three books bound together bysome sort of ornamental elastic ligature, and a bundle wrapped in a blue table-cloth. his rubicund face expressed consternationand fatigue; he appeared to be in a spasmodic sort of hurry. he was accompanied by a voice other thanhis own, and ever and again he winced under the touch of unseen hands. "if you give me the slip again," said thevoice, "if you attempt to give me the slip

again--""lord!" said mr. marvel. "that shoulder's a mass of bruises as itis." "on my honour," said the voice, "i willkill you." "i didn't try to give you the slip," saidmarvel, in a voice that was not far remote from tears."i swear i didn't. i didn't know the blessed turning, that wasall! how the devil was i to know the blessedturning? as it is, i've been knocked about--" "you'll get knocked about a great deal moreif you don't mind," said the voice, and mr.

marvel abruptly became silent.he blew out his cheeks, and his eyes were eloquent of despair. "it's bad enough to let these flounderingyokels explode my little secret, without your cutting off with my books.it's lucky for some of them they cut and ran when they did! here am i ...no one knew i was invisible! and now what am i to do?""what am i to do?" asked marvel, sotto "it's all about.it will be in the papers! everybody will be looking for me; everyoneon their guard--" the voice broke off into

vivid curses and ceased. the despair of mr. marvel's face deepened,and his pace slackened. "go on!" said the voice.mr. marvel's face assumed a greyish tint between the ruddier patches. "don't drop those books, stupid," said thevoice, sharply--overtaking him. "the fact is," said the voice, "i shallhave to make use of you.... you're a poor tool, but i must." "i'm a miserable tool," said marvel."you are," said the voice. "i'm the worst possible tool you couldhave," said marvel.

"i'm not strong," he said after adiscouraging silence. "i'm not over strong," he repeated."no?" "and my heart's weak. that little business--i pulled it through,of course--but bless you! i could have dropped.""well?" "i haven't the nerve and strength for thesort of thing you want." "i'll stimulate you.""i wish you wouldn't. i wouldn't like to mess up your plans, youknow. but i might--out of sheer funk and misery.""you'd better not," said the voice, with

quiet emphasis. "i wish i was dead," said marvel."it ain't justice," he said; "you must admit....it seems to me i've a perfect right--" "get on!" said the voice. mr. marvel mended his pace, and for a timethey went in silence again. "it's devilish hard," said mr. marvel.this was quite ineffectual. he tried another tack. "what do i make by it?" he began again in atone of unendurable wrong. "oh! shut up!" said the voice, with suddenamazing vigour.

"i'll see to you all right. you do what you're told.you'll do it all right. you're a fool and all that, but you'll do--" "i tell you, sir, i'm not the man for it. respectfully--but it is so--""if you don't shut up i shall twist your wrist again," said the invisible man."i want to think." presently two oblongs of yellow lightappeared through the trees, and the square tower of a church loomed through thegloaming. "i shall keep my hand on your shoulder,"said the voice, "all through the village.

go straight through and try no foolery.it will be the worse for you if you do." "i know that," sighed mr. marvel, "i knowall that." the unhappy-looking figure in the obsoletesilk hat passed up the street of the little village with his burdens, and vanished intothe gathering darkness beyond the lights of the windows. chapter xivat port stowe ten o'clock the next morning found mr.marvel, unshaven, dirty, and travel- stained, sitting with the books beside himand his hands deep in his pockets, looking very weary, nervous, and uncomfortable, and

inflating his cheeks at infrequentintervals, on the bench outside a little inn on the outskirts of port stowe.beside him were the books, but now they were tied with string. the bundle had been abandoned in the pine-woods beyond bramblehurst, in accordance with a change in the plans of the invisibleman. mr. marvel sat on the bench, and althoughno one took the slightest notice of him, his agitation remained at fever heat. his hands would go ever and again to hisvarious pockets with a curious nervous fumbling.

when he had been sitting for the best partof an hour, however, an elderly mariner, carrying a newspaper, came out of the innand sat down beside him. "pleasant day," said the mariner. mr. marvel glanced about him with somethingvery like terror. "very," he said."just seasonable weather for the time of year," said the mariner, taking no denial. "quite," said mr. marvel.the mariner produced a toothpick, and (saving his regard) was engrossed therebyfor some minutes. his eyes meanwhile were at liberty toexamine mr. marvel's dusty figure, and the

books beside him. as he had approached mr. marvel he hadheard a sound like the dropping of coins into a pocket. he was struck by the contrast of mr.marvel's appearance with this suggestion of opulence. thence his mind wandered back again to atopic that had taken a curiously firm hold of his imagination."books?" he said suddenly, noisily finishing with the toothpick. mr. marvel started and looked at them."oh, yes," he said.

"yes, they're books.""there's some extra-ordinary things in books," said the mariner. "i believe you," said mr. marvel."and some extra-ordinary things out of 'em," said the mariner."true likewise," said mr. marvel. he eyed his interlocutor, and then glancedabout him. "there's some extra-ordinary things innewspapers, for example," said the mariner. "there are." "in this newspaper," said the mariner."ah!" said mr. marvel. "there's a story," said the mariner, fixingmr. marvel with an eye that was firm and

deliberate; "there's a story about aninvisible man, for instance." mr. marvel pulled his mouth askew andscratched his cheek and felt his ears glowing."what will they be writing next?" he asked faintly. "ostria, or america?""neither," said the mariner. "here.""lord!" said mr. marvel, starting. "when i say here," said the mariner, to mr.marvel's intense relief, "i don't of course mean here in this place, i meanhereabouts." "an invisible man!" said mr. marvel.

"and what's he been up to?""everything," said the mariner, controlling marvel with his eye, and then amplifying,"every--blessed--thing." "i ain't seen a paper these four days,"said marvel. "iping's the place he started at," said themariner. "in-deed!" said mr. marvel. "he started there.and where he came from, nobody don't seem to know.here it is: 'pe-culiar story from iping.' and it says in this paper that the evidenceis extra-ordinary strong--extra-ordinary." "lord!" said mr. marvel."but then, it's an extra-ordinary story.

there is a clergyman and a medical gentwitnesses--saw 'im all right and proper--or leastways didn't see 'im. he was staying, it says, at the 'coach an'horses,' and no one don't seem to have been aware of his misfortune, it says, aware ofhis misfortune, until in an altercation in the inn, it says, his bandages on his headwas torn off. it was then ob-served that his head wasinvisible. attempts were at once made to secure him,but casting off his garments, it says, he succeeded in escaping, but not until aftera desperate struggle, in which he had inflicted serious injuries, it says, on our

worthy and able constable, mr. j. a.jaffers. pretty straight story, eh?names and everything." "lord!" said mr. marvel, looking nervouslyabout him, trying to count the money in his pockets by his unaided sense of touch, andfull of a strange and novel idea. "it sounds most astonishing." "don't it?extra-ordinary, i call it. never heard tell of invisible men before,i haven't, but nowadays one hears such a lot of extra-ordinary things--that--" "that all he did?" asked marvel, trying toseem at his ease.

"it's enough, ain't it?" said the mariner."didn't go back by any chance?" asked marvel. "just escaped and that's all, eh?""all!" said the mariner. "why!--ain't it enough?""quite enough," said marvel. "i should think it was enough," said themariner. "i should think it was enough." "he didn't have any pals--it don't say hehad any pals, does it?" asked mr. marvel, anxious."ain't one of a sort enough for you?" asked the mariner.

"no, thank heaven, as one might say, hedidn't." he nodded his head slowly. "it makes me regular uncomfortable, thebare thought of that chap running about the country! he is at present at large, and from certainevidence it is supposed that he has--taken- -took, i suppose they mean--the road toport stowe. you see we're right in it! none of your american wonders, this time.and just think of the things he might do! where'd you be, if he took a drop over andabove, and had a fancy to go for you?

suppose he wants to rob--who can preventhim? he can trespass, he can burgle, he couldwalk through a cordon of policemen as easy as me or you could give the slip to a blindman! easier! for these here blind chaps hear uncommonsharp, i'm told. and wherever there was liquor he fancied--""he's got a tremenjous advantage, certainly," said mr. marvel. "and--well...""you're right," said the mariner. "he has."

all this time mr. marvel had been glancingabout him intently, listening for faint footfalls, trying to detect imperceptiblemovements. he seemed on the point of some greatresolution. he coughed behind his hand. he looked about him again, listened, benttowards the mariner, and lowered his voice: "the fact of it is--i happen--to know justa thing or two about this invisible man. from private sources." "oh!" said the mariner, interested."you?" "yes," said mr. marvel."me."

"indeed!" said the mariner. "and may i ask--""you'll be astonished," said mr. marvel behind his hand."it's tremenjous." "the fact is," began mr. marvel eagerly ina confidential undertone. suddenly his expression changedmarvellously. "ow!" he said. he rose stiffly in his seat.his face was eloquent of physical suffering."wow!" he said. "what's up?" said the mariner, concerned.

"toothache," said mr. marvel, and put hishand to his ear. he caught hold of his books."i must be getting on, i think," he said. he edged in a curious way along the seataway from his interlocutor. "but you was just a-going to tell me aboutthis here invisible man!" protested the mariner. mr. marvel seemed to consult with himself."hoax," said a voice. "it's a hoax," said mr. marvel."but it's in the paper," said the mariner. "hoax all the same," said marvel. "i know the chap that started the lie.there ain't no invisible man whatsoever--

blimey.""but how 'bout this paper? d'you mean to say--?" "not a word of it," said marvel, stoutly.the mariner stared, paper in hand. mr. marvel jerkily faced about."wait a bit," said the mariner, rising and speaking slowly, "d'you mean to say--?" "i do," said mr. marvel."then why did you let me go on and tell you all this blarsted stuff, then?what d'yer mean by letting a man make a fool of himself like that for? eh?"mr. marvel blew out his cheeks.

the mariner was suddenly very red indeed;he clenched his hands. "i been talking here this ten minutes," hesaid; "and you, you little pot-bellied, leathery-faced son of an old boot, couldn'thave the elementary manners--" "don't you come bandying words with me,"said mr. marvel. "bandying words!i'm a jolly good mind--" "come up," said a voice, and mr. marvel wassuddenly whirled about and started marching off in a curious spasmodic manner."you'd better move on," said the mariner. "who's moving on?" said mr. marvel. he was receding obliquely with a curioushurrying gait, with occasional violent

jerks forward.some way along the road he began a muttered monologue, protests and recriminations. "silly devil!" said the mariner, legs wideapart, elbows akimbo, watching the receding figure."i'll show you, you silly ass--hoaxing me! it's here--on the paper!" mr. marvel retorted incoherently and,receding, was hidden by a bend in the road, but the mariner still stood magnificent inthe midst of the way, until the approach of a butcher's cart dislodged him. then he turned himself towards port stowe."full of extra-ordinary asses," he said

softly to himself."just to take me down a bit--that was his silly game--it's on the paper!" and there was another extraordinary thinghe was presently to hear, that had happened quite close to him. and that was a vision of a "fist full ofmoney" (no less) travelling without visible agency, along by the wall at the corner ofst. michael's lane. a brother mariner had seen this wonderfulsight that very morning. he had snatched at the money forthwith andhad been knocked headlong, and when he had got to his feet the butterfly money hadvanished.

our mariner was in the mood to believeanything, he declared, but that was a bit too stiff.afterwards, however, he began to think things over. the story of the flying money was true. and all about that neighbourhood, even fromthe august london and country banking company, from the tills of shops and inns--doors standing that sunny weather entirely open--money had been quietly and dexterously making off that day in handfulsand rouleaux, floating quietly along by walls and shady places, dodging quicklyfrom the approaching eyes of men.

and it had, though no man had traced it,invariably ended its mysterious flight in the pocket of that agitated gentleman inthe obsolete silk hat, sitting outside the little inn on the outskirts of port stowe. it was ten days after--and indeed only whenthe burdock story was already old--that the mariner collated these facts and began tounderstand how near he had been to the wonderful invisible man. -chapter xvthe man who was running in the early evening time dr. kemp wassitting in his study in the belvedere on the hill overlooking burdock.

it was a pleasant little room, with threewindows--north, west, and south--and bookshelves covered with books andscientific publications, and a broad writing-table, and, under the north window, a microscope, glass slips, minuteinstruments, some cultures, and scattered bottles of reagents. dr. kemp's solar lamp was lit, albeit thesky was still bright with the sunset light, and his blinds were up because there was nooffence of peering outsiders to require them pulled down. dr. kemp was a tall and slender young man,with flaxen hair and a moustache almost

white, and the work he was upon would earnhim, he hoped, the fellowship of the royal society, so highly did he think of it. and his eye, presently wandering from hiswork, caught the sunset blazing at the back of the hill that is over against his own. for a minute perhaps he sat, pen in mouth,admiring the rich golden colour above the crest, and then his attention was attractedby the little figure of a man, inky black, running over the hill-brow towards him. he was a shortish little man, and he wore ahigh hat, and he was running so fast that his legs verily twinkled."another of those fools," said dr. kemp.

"like that ass who ran into me this morninground a corner, with the ''visible man a- coming, sir!'i can't imagine what possess people. one might think we were in the thirteenthcentury." he got up, went to the window, and staredat the dusky hillside, and the dark little figure tearing down it. "he seems in a confounded hurry," said dr.kemp, "but he doesn't seem to be getting on.if his pockets were full of lead, he couldn't run heavier." "spurted, sir," said dr. kemp.in another moment the higher of the villas

that had clambered up the hill from burdockhad occulted the running figure. he was visible again for a moment, andagain, and then again, three times between the three detached houses that came next,and then the terrace hid him. "asses!" said dr. kemp, swinging round onhis heel and walking back to his writing- table. but those who saw the fugitive nearer, andperceived the abject terror on his perspiring face, being themselves in theopen roadway, did not share in the doctor's contempt. by the man pounded, and as he ran hechinked like a well-filled purse that is

tossed to and fro. he looked neither to the right nor theleft, but his dilated eyes stared straight downhill to where the lamps were being lit,and the people were crowded in the street. and his ill-shaped mouth fell apart, and aglairy foam lay on his lips, and his breath came hoarse and noisy. all he passed stopped and began staring upthe road and down, and interrogating one another with an inkling of discomfort forthe reason of his haste. and then presently, far up the hill, a dogplaying in the road yelped and ran under a gate, and as they still wondered something--a wind--a pad, pad, pad,--a sound like a

panting breathing, rushed by. people screamed.people sprang off the pavement: it passed in shouts, it passed by instinct down thehill. they were shouting in the street beforemarvel was halfway there. they were bolting into houses and slammingthe doors behind them, with the news. he heard it and made one last desperatespurt. fear came striding by, rushed ahead of him,and in a moment had seized the town. "the invisible man is coming! the invisible man!"

chapter xviin the "jolly cricketers" the "jolly cricketers" is just at thebottom of the hill, where the tram-lines begin. the barman leant his fat red arms on thecounter and talked of horses with an anaemic cabman, while a black-bearded manin grey snapped up biscuit and cheese, drank burton, and conversed in americanwith a policeman off duty. "what's the shouting about!" said theanaemic cabman, going off at a tangent, trying to see up the hill over the dirtyyellow blind in the low window of the inn. somebody ran by outside.

"fire, perhaps," said the barman. footsteps approached, running heavily, thedoor was pushed open violently, and marvel, weeping and dishevelled, his hat gone, theneck of his coat torn open, rushed in, made a convulsive turn, and attempted to shutthe door. it was held half open by a strap."coming!" he bawled, his voice shrieking with terror. "he's coming.the 'visible man! after me!for gawd's sake! 'elp!

'elp!'elp!" "shut the doors," said the policeman."who's coming? what's the row?" he went to the door, released the strap,and it slammed. the american closed the other door."lemme go inside," said marvel, staggering and weeping, but still clutching the books. "lemme go inside.lock me in--somewhere. i tell you he's after me.i give him the slip. he said he'd kill me and he will."

"you're safe," said the man with the blackbeard. "the door's shut.what's it all about?" "lemme go inside," said marvel, andshrieked aloud as a blow suddenly made the fastened door shiver and was followed by ahurried rapping and a shouting outside. "hullo," cried the policeman, "who'sthere?" mr. marvel began to make frantic dives atpanels that looked like doors. "he'll kill me--he's got a knife orsomething. for gawd's sake--!""here you are," said the barman. "come in here."

and he held up the flap of the bar.mr. marvel rushed behind the bar as the summons outside was repeated."don't open the door," he screamed. "please don't open the door. where shall i hide?""this, this invisible man, then?" asked the man with the black beard, with one handbehind him. "i guess it's about time we saw him." the window of the inn was suddenly smashedin, and there was a screaming and running to and fro in the street. the policeman had been standing on thesettee staring out, craning to see who was

at the door.he got down with raised eyebrows. "it's that," he said. the barman stood in front of the bar-parlour door which was now locked on mr. marvel, stared at the smashed window, andcame round to the two other men. everything was suddenly quiet. "i wish i had my truncheon," said thepoliceman, going irresolutely to the door. "once we open, in he comes.there's no stopping him." "don't you be in too much hurry about thatdoor," said the anaemic cabman, anxiously. "draw the bolts," said the man with theblack beard, "and if he comes--" he showed

a revolver in his hand. "that won't do," said the policeman;"that's murder." "i know what country i'm in," said the manwith the beard. "i'm going to let off at his legs. draw the bolts.""not with that blinking thing going off behind me," said the barman, craning overthe blind. "very well," said the man with the blackbeard, and stooping down, revolver ready, drew them himself.barman, cabman, and policeman faced about. "come in," said the bearded man in anundertone, standing back and facing the

unbolted doors with his pistol behind him.no one came in, the door remained closed. five minutes afterwards when a secondcabman pushed his head in cautiously, they were still waiting, and an anxious facepeered out of the bar-parlour and supplied information. "are all the doors of the house shut?"asked marvel. "he's going round--prowling round.he's as artful as the devil." "good lord!" said the burly barman. "there's the back!just watch them doors! i say--!"he looked about him helplessly.

the bar-parlour door slammed and they heardthe key turn. "there's the yard door and the privatedoor. the yard door--" he rushed out of the bar.in a minute he reappeared with a carving- knife in his hand."the yard door was open!" he said, and his fat underlip dropped. "he may be in the house now!" said thefirst cabman. "he's not in the kitchen," said the barman. "there's two women there, and i've stabbedevery inch of it with this little beef

slicer.and they don't think he's come in. they haven't noticed--" "have you fastened it?" asked the firstcabman. "i'm out of frocks," said the barman.the man with the beard replaced his revolver. and even as he did so the flap of the barwas shut down and the bolt clicked, and then with a tremendous thud the catch ofthe door snapped and the bar-parlour door burst open. they heard marvel squeal like a caughtleveret, and forthwith they were clambering

over the bar to his rescue. the bearded man's revolver cracked and thelooking-glass at the back of the parlour starred and came smashing and tinklingdown. as the barman entered the room he sawmarvel, curiously crumpled up and struggling against the door that led to theyard and kitchen. the door flew open while the barmanhesitated, and marvel was dragged into the kitchen.there was a scream and a clatter of pans. marvel, head down, and lugging backobstinately, was forced to the kitchen door, and the bolts were drawn.

then the policeman, who had been trying topass the barman, rushed in, followed by one of the cabmen, gripped the wrist of theinvisible hand that collared marvel, was hit in the face and went reeling back. the door opened, and marvel made a franticeffort to obtain a lodgment behind it. then the cabman collared something."i got him," said the cabman. the barman's red hands came clawing at theunseen. "here he is!" said the barman. mr. marvel, released, suddenly dropped tothe ground and made an attempt to crawl behind the legs of the fighting men.the struggle blundered round the edge of

the door. the voice of the invisible man was heardfor the first time, yelling out sharply, as the policeman trod on his foot.then he cried out passionately and his fists flew round like flails. the cabman suddenly whooped and doubled up,kicked under the diaphragm. the door into the bar-parlour from thekitchen slammed and covered mr. marvel's retreat. the men in the kitchen found themselvesclutching at and struggling with empty air. "where's he gone?" cried the man with thebeard.

"out?" "this way," said the policeman, steppinginto the yard and stopping. a piece of tile whizzed by his head andsmashed among the crockery on the kitchen "i'll show him," shouted the man with theblack beard, and suddenly a steel barrel shone over the policeman's shoulder, andfive bullets had followed one another into the twilight whence the missile had come. as he fired, the man with the beard movedhis hand in a horizontal curve, so that his shots radiated out into the narrow yardlike spokes from a wheel. a silence followed.

"five cartridges," said the man with theblack beard. "that's the best of all.four aces and a joker. get a lantern, someone, and come and feelabout for his body." chapter xviidr. kemp's visitor dr. kemp had continued writing in his studyuntil the shots aroused him. crack, crack, crack, they came one afterthe other. "hullo!" said dr. kemp, putting his peninto his mouth again and listening. "who's letting off revolvers in burdock?what are the asses at now?" he went to the south window, threw it up,and leaning out stared down on the network

of windows, beaded gas-lamps and shops,with its black interstices of roof and yard that made up the town at night. "looks like a crowd down the hill," hesaid, "by 'the cricketers,'" and remained watching. thence his eyes wandered over the town tofar away where the ships' lights shone, and the pier glowed--a little illuminated,facetted pavilion like a gem of yellow light. the moon in its first quarter hung over thewestward hill, and the stars were clear and almost tropically bright.

after five minutes, during which his mindhad travelled into a remote speculation of social conditions of the future, and lostitself at last over the time dimension, dr. kemp roused himself with a sigh, pulled down the window again, and returned to hiswriting desk. it must have been about an hour after thisthat the front-door bell rang. he had been writing slackly, and withintervals of abstraction, since the shots. he sat listening. he heard the servant answer the door, andwaited for her feet on the staircase, but she did not come."wonder what that was," said dr. kemp.

he tried to resume his work, failed, gotup, went downstairs from his study to the landing, rang, and called over thebalustrade to the housemaid as she appeared in the hall below. "was that a letter?" he asked."only a runaway ring, sir," she answered. "i'm restless to-night," he said tohimself. he went back to his study, and this timeattacked his work resolutely. in a little while he was hard at workagain, and the only sounds in the room were the ticking of the clock and the subduedshrillness of his quill, hurrying in the very centre of the circle of light hislampshade threw on his table.

it was two o'clock before dr. kemp hadfinished his work for the night. he rose, yawned, and went downstairs tobed. he had already removed his coat and vest,when he noticed that he was thirsty. he took a candle and went down to thedining-room in search of a syphon and whiskey. dr. kemp's scientific pursuits have madehim a very observant man, and as he recrossed the hall, he noticed a dark spoton the linoleum near the mat at the foot of the stairs. he went on upstairs, and then it suddenlyoccurred to him to ask himself what the

spot on the linoleum might be.apparently some subconscious element was at work. at any rate, he turned with his burden,went back to the hall, put down the syphon and whiskey, and bending down, touched thespot. without any great surprise he found it hadthe stickiness and colour of drying blood. he took up his burden again, and returnedupstairs, looking about him and trying to account for the blood-spot. on the landing he saw something and stoppedastonished. the door-handle of his own room was blood-stained.

he looked at his own hand. it was quite clean, and then he rememberedthat the door of his room had been open when he came down from his study, and thatconsequently he had not touched the handle at all. he went straight into his room, his facequite calm--perhaps a trifle more resolute than usual.his glance, wandering inquisitively, fell on the bed. on the counterpane was a mess of blood, andthe sheet had been torn. he had not noticed this before because hehad walked straight to the dressing-table.

on the further side the bedclothes weredepressed as if someone had been recently sitting there. then he had an odd impression that he hadheard a low voice say, "good heavens!-- kemp!"but dr. kemp was no believer in voices. he stood staring at the tumbled sheets. was that really a voice?he looked about again, but noticed nothing further than the disordered and blood-stained bed. then he distinctly heard a movement acrossthe room, near the wash-hand stand. all men, however highly educated, retainsome superstitious inklings.

the feeling that is called "eerie" cameupon him. he closed the door of the room, cameforward to the dressing-table, and put down his burdens. suddenly, with a start, he perceived acoiled and blood-stained bandage of linen rag hanging in mid-air, between him and thewash-hand stand. he stared at this in amazement. it was an empty bandage, a bandage properlytied but quite empty. he would have advanced to grasp it, but atouch arrested him, and a voice speaking "kemp!" said the voice."eh?" said kemp, with his mouth open.

"keep your nerve," said the voice."i'm an invisible man." kemp made no answer for a space, simplystared at the bandage. "invisible man," he said."i am an invisible man," repeated the the story he had been active to ridiculeonly that morning rushed through kemp's brain. he does not appear to have been either verymuch frightened or very greatly surprised at the moment.realisation came later. "i thought it was all a lie," he said. the thought uppermost in his mind was thereiterated arguments of the morning.

"have you a bandage on?" he asked."yes," said the invisible man. "oh!" said kemp, and then roused himself. "i say!" he said."but this is nonsense. it's some trick." he stepped forward suddenly, and his hand,extended towards the bandage, met invisible fingers.he recoiled at the touch and his colour changed. "keep steady, kemp, for god's sake!i want help badly. stop!"the hand gripped his arm.

he struck at it. "kemp!" cried the voice."kemp! keep steady!" and the grip tightened.a frantic desire to free himself took possession of kemp. the hand of the bandaged arm gripped hisshoulder, and he was suddenly tripped and flung backwards upon the bed. he opened his mouth to shout, and thecorner of the sheet was thrust between his teeth. the invisible man had him down grimly, buthis arms were free and he struck and tried

to kick savagely. "listen to reason, will you?" said theinvisible man, sticking to him in spite of a pounding in the ribs."by heaven! you'll madden me in a minute! "lie still, you fool!" bawled the invisibleman in kemp's ear. kemp struggled for another moment and thenlay still. "if you shout, i'll smash your face," saidthe invisible man, relieving his mouth. "i'm an invisible man.it's no foolishness, and no magic. i really am an invisible man. and i want your help.i don't want to hurt you, but if you behave

like a frantic rustic, i must.don't you remember me, kemp? griffin, of university college?" "let me get up," said kemp."i'll stop where i am. and let me sit quiet for a minute."he sat up and felt his neck. "i am griffin, of university college, and ihave made myself invisible. i am just an ordinary man--a man you haveknown--made invisible." "griffin?" said kemp. "griffin," answered the voice.a younger student than you were, almost an albino, six feet high, and broad, with apink and white face and red eyes, who won

the medal for chemistry." "i am confused," said kemp."my brain is rioting. what has this to do with griffin?""i am griffin." kemp thought. "it's horrible," he said."but what devilry must happen to make a man invisible?""it's no devilry. it's a process, sane and intelligibleenough--" "it's horrible!" said kemp."how on earth--?" "it's horrible enough.

but i'm wounded and in pain, and tired ...great god! kemp, you are a man.take it steady. give me some food and drink, and let me sitdown here." kemp stared at the bandage as it movedacross the room, then saw a basket chair dragged across the floor and come to restnear the bed. it creaked, and the seat was depressed thequarter of an inch or so. he rubbed his eyes and felt his neck again."this beats ghosts," he said, and laughed stupidly. "that's better.thank heaven, you're getting sensible!"

"or silly," said kemp, and knuckled hiseyes. "give me some whiskey. i'm near dead.""it didn't feel so. where are you?if i get up shall i run into you? there! all right. whiskey?here. where shall i give it to you?"the chair creaked and kemp felt the glass drawn away from him. he let go by an effort; his instinct wasall against it.

it came to rest poised twenty inches abovethe front edge of the seat of the chair. he stared at it in infinite perplexity. "this is--this must be--hypnotism.you have suggested you are invisible." "nonsense," said the voice."it's frantic." "listen to me." "i demonstrated conclusively this morning,"began kemp, "that invisibility--" "never mind what you've demonstrated!--i'mstarving," said the voice, "and the night is chilly to a man without clothes." "food?" said kemp.the tumbler of whiskey tilted itself.

"yes," said the invisible man rapping itdown. "have you a dressing-gown?" kemp made some exclamation in an undertone.he walked to a wardrobe and produced a robe of dingy scarlet."this do?" he asked. it was taken from him. it hung limp for a moment in mid-air,fluttered weirdly, stood full and decorous buttoning itself, and sat down in hischair. "drawers, socks, slippers would be acomfort," said the unseen, curtly. "and food.""anything.

but this is the insanest thing i ever wasin, in my life!" he turned out his drawers for the articles,and then went downstairs to ransack his larder. he came back with some cold cutlets andbread, pulled up a light table, and placed them before his guest. "never mind knives," said his visitor, anda cutlet hung in mid-air, with a sound of gnawing."invisible!" said kemp, and sat down on a bedroom chair. "i always like to get something about mebefore i eat," said the invisible man, with

a full mouth, eating greedily."queer fancy!" "i suppose that wrist is all right," saidkemp. "trust me," said the invisible man."of all the strange and wonderful--" "exactly. but it's odd i should blunder into yourhouse to get my bandaging. my first stroke of luck!anyhow i meant to sleep in this house to- night. you must stand that!it's a filthy nuisance, my blood showing, isn't it?quite a clot over there.

gets visible as it coagulates, i see. it's only the living tissue i've changed,and only for as long as i'm alive.... i've been in the house three hours.""but how's it done?" began kemp, in a tone of exasperation. "confound it!the whole business--it's unreasonable from beginning to end.""quite reasonable," said the invisible man. "perfectly reasonable." he reached over and secured the whiskeybottle. kemp stared at the devouring dressing gown.

a ray of candle-light penetrating a tornpatch in the right shoulder, made a triangle of light under the left ribs."what were the shots?" he asked. "how did the shooting begin?" "there was a real fool of a man--a sort ofconfederate of mine--curse him!--who tried to steal my money.has done so." "is he invisible too?" "no.""well?" "can't i have some more to eat before itell you all that? i'm hungry--in pain.

and you want me to tell stories!"kemp got up. "you didn't do any shooting?" he asked."not me," said his visitor. "some fool i'd never seen fired at random. a lot of them got scared.they all got scared at me. curse them!--i say--i want more to eat thanthis, kemp." "i'll see what there is to eat downstairs,"said kemp. "not much, i'm afraid." after he had done eating, and he made aheavy meal, the invisible man demanded a cigar.

he bit the end savagely before kemp couldfind a knife, and cursed when the outer leaf loosened. it was strange to see him smoking; hismouth, and throat, pharynx and nares, became visible as a sort of whirling smokecast. "this blessed gift of smoking!" he said,and puffed vigorously. "i'm lucky to have fallen upon you, kemp.you must help me. fancy tumbling on you just now! i'm in a devilish scrape--i've been mad, ithink. the things i have been through!but we will do things yet.

let me tell you--" he helped himself to more whiskey and soda.kemp got up, looked about him, and fetched a glass from his spare room."it's wild--but i suppose i may drink." "you haven't changed much, kemp, thesedozen years. you fair men don't.cool and methodical--after the first collapse. i must tell you.we will work together!" "but how was it all done?" said kemp, "andhow did you get like this?" "for god's sake, let me smoke in peace fora little while!

and then i will begin to tell you."but the story was not told that night. the invisible man's wrist was growingpainful; he was feverish, exhausted, and his mind came round to brood upon his chasedown the hill and the struggle about the inn. he spoke in fragments of marvel, he smokedfaster, his voice grew angry. kemp tried to gather what he could. "he was afraid of me, i could see that hewas afraid of me," said the invisible man many times over."he meant to give me the slip--he was always casting about!

what a fool i was!"the cur! "i should have killed him!""where did you get the money?" asked kemp, abruptly. the invisible man was silent for a space."i can't tell you to-night," he said. he groaned suddenly and leant forward,supporting his invisible head on invisible hands. "kemp," he said, "i've had no sleep fornear three days, except a couple of dozes of an hour or so.i must sleep soon." "well, have my room--have this room."

"but how can i sleep?if i sleep--he will get away. ugh!what does it matter?" "what's the shot wound?" asked kemp,abruptly. "nothing--scratch and blood.oh, god! how i want sleep!" "why not?"the invisible man appeared to be regarding kemp. "because i've a particular objection tobeing caught by my fellow-men," he said slowly.kemp started.

"fool that i am!" said the invisible man,striking the table smartly. "i've put the idea into your head."

Subscribe to receive free email updates: