gk chesterton - man who knew too much, the

7/31/2019 GK Chesterton - Man Who Knew Too Much, The

1/381Publ

icDomainintheUnitedStates,Google-digitized

/http://www.hathitrust.org/access_us

e#pd-us-google


2/381PublicDomainintheUnitedStates,Google-digitized


e#pd-us-google




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4/381

h

PublicDomainintheUnitedStates,Google-digitized


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TOOMUCH



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TOOMUCH:

T AR G T i

I NC 3 4

S C HO OL B O Y 6 6

S S W E L L 8 9

H I SH R MA N 11 6

W A L L 1 4 7

O S IL E N C 1 8 5

A NC O T H S T AT U 2 2 5

IDE :

P E A CO CK T R E S 2 61

S Q UI R V A N 2 8 6

T H W E L L 3 12

T R T H T R UT H 34 0



e#pd-us-google




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11/381

C H

TARG T

ngreviewerand

ocialc ritic , waswalk ingv igorouslyacross

sandcommons,the

edwiththe far-off

eofTorwoodPark.

ngmanintweeds,

d palecleareyes.

n theverylandscape

ngenoughtoremember

trytoforget them.

odParkwasapolitical

pointment namedby

Chancellorof the x -

e,thenintroducinghis

et,andpreparedtoe -

thso promisinga

sthesort ofman

out politics,andnothing

knewagreat deal

phy,andgeneralcul-



e#pd-us-google


12/381

Much

hing,indeed,e cept the

hosesunny and

asort ofcleft almost

da crackintheland.

htobethe water-course

nishedat intervals

ergrowth,asif ina

ed,hehadanoddfeeling

ngoverthevalleyof

edroppedintothehollow ,

waslost;therocky

vetheheight ofacot-

e profileofaprecipice.

wnthe courseofthe

iccuriosity,andsaw

stripsbetweenthe

ushesassoft asgreat

uite anoppositevein

ifthe earthhad

mintoasort ofunder-

nhebecamecon-

rkagainst thesilver

boulderandlooking

wasperhapswith

propertoa manwho

dshipofhislife.

shing;orat least

n sattitudew ithmore

obility.Marchwasable



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13/381

most asifhehadbeena

eforethestatuespoke.

daverous,andalittle

eyelidsandahigh-

acewasshadedwith

t mustacheandlithe

youth.B ut the

esidehim; andthe

sbrowwasprematurely

ithacertainhollow-

anairofheadworkand

most curiousthingabout

scrutiny,wasthat,

erman,hewas not

a rod,something

ding-net whichsome

wasmuchmorelike

childrencarry,and

ndifferentlyforshrimps

ngthis intothe

yregardingitsharvest

yingit out again.

h anything, heremarked,

unspokenquery.

hrow it bac kagain;espe-

omeofthelittlebeasts

em.

uppose observed



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14/381

Much

sort,I fear,

erman. Ihavea

theycall phenomena

ut it wouldberather

cietycryingstinking

saidMarc h, w itha

drawing-roomcarry-

continuedthestran-

Howquaint it would

ut likealantern,or

es.Someof thesea-

yprettylike lamp-

that glittersallover

he redstarfishreally

naturally , I mnot look-

himwhat hewas

equaltoa technical

pasthedeep-seafishes,

rytopics.

thisis, hesaid.

rhere. It' slikethose

out,wheresomething

heother. Ithink it's

otospeak,seemsto

e ist. Perhapsthat' s

eoftheCubists aretry-



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15/381

esand aggedlines. Look

at utsforward ust

of turfsweepingupto

ollision. It' slikea

hofawave.

owedcragover-

dnodded.Hewas

ned soeasilyfromthe

othoseofart;andasked

angularartists.

arenot Cubist

ranger. Imeanthey re

kingthingsmathema-

Taketheliving lines

plifyit toaright

ut toamerediagram

heirownbeauty;

ersort. Theystandfor

calm,eternal,mathe-

t somebodycallsthe

ene t wordcame

almost tooquicklyand

rombehindthe

noiseandrushlike

agreat motorcar

est ofcliff,black

e-chariot rushingto

pic.Marchauto-

dinonefutilegesture,



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16/381

Much

cupinadrawing-

hit seemedtoleave

ngship;thenthevery

e awheel,andit lay

sbelow,alineof gray

mit intothesilent air.

amanwithgray hair

pgreenslope,his limbs

sfaceturnedaway.

roppedhisnet and

spot,hisnewacquaint-

ydrewnearthere

ousironyinthefact

asstillthrobbingand

actory,whilethe

ad.Theblood

hopelesslyfatalfrac-

l;but theface,which

sunin uredand

.It wasoneofthose

unmistakableasto

mehow,that we

thoughwedo not.

sort withgreat aws,

yintellectualape;the

astobetracedby a

withthesort ofnos-

hanappetitefor the



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t thefacewasthat

ockedupat amuch

er.Marchthought

sonaturallyaliveas

energyseemedall

hoaryhair.Some

ofthepocket,and

tractedacard-case.

ardaloud.

. I msureI ve

ere.

sort ofalittle

moment,asifrumi-

ad, Thepoorfellow is

somescientifictermsin

refoundhimselfout

tnuedthesamec uriously

t willbemorelegalfor

suntilthepoliceare

willbewellif

c eisinformed. Don t

ekeepingit darkfrom

ndhere. Then,as

sr atherabrupt con-

ec omedowntoseemy

meisHome isher.

eringabout here,

urc ousin " asked



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18/381

Much

oTorwoodPark tosee

spublicwork,of

standheis making

isB udget isthe

hhistory.Ifit fails,it

urein nglishhistory.

great kinsman,Mr.

i s he r . H e s t h e be s t

tant ofhisnon-

asort ofenthusiasm:

beautifulshot.

s,hetooka sort

erockabovehim,and

agilityin startling

situde.Hehadstood

eadlandabove,with

e Panamahat re-

dpeeringoverthe

mpanionhadcollected

mbleupafterhim.

chof commonturf

fatedcarwere

t thebrinkofit was

;brokenbouldersof

eartheedge;it was

yonecouldhavede-

adeathtrap, espe-



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ortailof it, saidMarc h.

bl i nd d r un k "

him, repliedthe

ozywayofdoingit,

isher. B esides, I

gywouldcommit sui-

quiredthewondering

knowthisunfortunate

ac tly , replied isher,

ut oneknewhim, of

rrorinhistime, inPar-

ndsoon;especiallyin

whoweredeported

wantedoneof em

ssosick about it

ench.Sincethenhe

himself;but hewas

ortheweek-end;and

ddeliberatelybreakhis

oor. IbelieveHoggs

wasc omingdown

t belongtoyour

rc h.

otheWinthrops, you

er. Nowanewman s



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20/381

Much

lnamed enkins.

ing;Itold youhe

egreat social

dMarchasifsome-

nasadistinguished

danotherhalf-formed

sfloodof unfamiliar

othesurfacebefore

at e d. S u re l y yo u d on t

k ins, thesoc ialreformer I

ghtingforthenewcot-

ouldbeasinteresting

et Ministerinthe

emysay ingso.

wouldhavetobe

er. Hesaidthebreedof

ten,andpeoplewere

fcourse,youmust

ething;thoughthepoor

Hullo, here ssomebody

nthetracksof the

inthe hollow,still

geinsect that had

okthemto thecor-

fwhichwent onin

stant gatesofthe

ecarhadbeendriven



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d,andthen,instead

theleft,hadgone

itsdoom.B ut it

t hadriveted isher s

moresolid.At the

darkandsolitaryfigure

las afingerpost.It

ughshooting-clothes,

sledcurlyhairthat

k.Onanearer

ntasticimpression

uretookonmore

anordinarygentle-

ecomeout without a

ouslybrushinghis

atureremained,and

cavernousabout the

edhisanimal good

ace.But Marchhad

moreclosely,for,

hisguidemerelyob-

" andwalkedpast himas

npost,andwithout

fthe catastrophe

elativelyasmall

irst inastringof

snewand eccentric

ookedafterthem

on,but ishercon-



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22/381

Much

alongthe straight

esofthegreat

r ke , t he t r av e le r , h e c on -

I e p e ct y o u v e h ea r d

d allthat.SorryI

ceyou,but Idaresay

n.

rse, saidMarc h,

That iscertainlyafine

t theirbeingonlycon-

heelephant whenthe

themoon.

tes ollywell, Ithink.

nowHalkett wrote

B u r k e c an t u s e a ny -

youc an t writew ith

enoughinhisway, you

oragooddealbraver

bout him, observed

deredlaugh, and

people.

ec ameabruptlyc orru-

pressioncameintohis

e s ai d . T h at ' s w h at ' s

swhat's thematter

eshow;weknowtoo

eanother;toomuch



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whyI mreally inter-

onethingthat Idon t

uiredtheother.

isdead.

estraight roadfor

t intervalsinthis

ngularsenseof the

nsideout.Mr.

peciallyabusehis

hionablesociety;of

haffection.B ut they

ew set ofmenand

havethesamenerves

ntionedmost oftenin

ryofrevolt could

utterlyrevolutionary

waslikedaylight

scenery.

dgegatesofthe

rprise,passedthem

terminablewhite,

ashimselftooearly

SirHoward,andwas

ndof hisnewfriend s

t might be.Theyhad

hindthem,andhalf

thegreat shadowof

hemselveslikegray

esunshineandwithin,



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Much

ufacturingtheirown

riftsbegantoappear

oredwindows;the

yas theroadwent

irregularcopsesin

ehouse-partyhadbeen

bout twohundred

etothe first turnof

ofdecayedinnwith

pes.Thesignboard

blebynow,andhung

thegraymoorland

asagallows.March

keatavernforvinegar

i s he r , a n d so i t

enoughtodrinkwine

ygood, andsoisthe

barparlor with

senseof repugnance

rst sight oftheinn-

fferent fromthegenial

bonyman,verysilent

but withblack,restless

heinvestigatorsuc-

tingascrapofinforma-

rderingbeerand

andminutelyon the



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eevidentlyregarded

ngular wayanauthor-

gdeepinthesecrets

ement,andmisman-

ldingthemanall the

iketheAncient Mar-

mysteriousconver-

last asort ofadmis-

otorcar,ofagiven

beforetheinnabout

anelderlymanhad

mechanicalassistance.

dany otherassist-

hortlythat theold

skandtakena packet

esewordsthesome-

dwalkedhastilyout of

m bangingdoorsinthe

anderedroundthedusty

resteddreamilyona

ffedbird,witha gun

ichseemedtobe its

, heobserved, at

mstyle.B ut it seems

foramantobuya

enheis ust goingto

answeredMarc h, it



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27/381

witha gununderhis

ublic house.

at i n k s , t oo , s a id

yseemstobeat ink s.

anc ellorof the x c heq-

oting. At least allof it

ooting. Ineverknewac hap

at wassuchabad

ollygoodfellow

yawordagainst him.

olda gunwhenhewas

hedid.Theysayhe

wnservant' shat; ust

ofcourse.Heshot

wnridiculousgilded

onlyc oc khe llever

ucomingupthere

ely,that hewasfol-

i edsomethingup;

e x c hequerleft the

beena littleupset

dforthe brandy;but

kintoa satisfactory

beenquitewhat his

c ted. isher, afew

yledthewayout ofthe

ddleoftheroad,look-

romwhichtheyhad

backabout two



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28/381

Much

ectionandstoodstill

bout theplace, he

kedhisc ompanion.

orfellowwas

sdly .

" demandedMarc h.

theroc ksamileanda

re p li e d i s he r . H e d id n t

dn t younoticethat

soft grassunder-

hehadabullet inhim

ed:

n,but hewasdead

rocks.Sohewas

ownthisstripof

thinksomewhere

course,thecarwent

ostoporturnit. It' s

ein itsway;forthe

way,andmost people

t wasanaccident to

must havebeena

shot beheardat theinnor

Marc h.

t it wouldnot be



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30/381

Much

couldreplyhehad

upandoverthe fence;

uchbodilyeffort,but

disturbance.The

nst thefencethat they

ngpast them,and

ouldseeonlya high

ustrousin thelevel

ationbya seriesof

s ifhewerereally

einsteadofan open

nbyadisused

heway blockedby

circumventedthe

ut onasort ofterrace

reensteptoanob-

een.B eyondthis

ght,alowconserv-

wayfromanywhere,

gin itsownfieldsin

at lonelylookofthe

ousewellenough.He

asatireonaristocracy

hweedsandlittered

eglectedandyet it

isdisused.It is

shedforamasterwho

wever,hesawone

t apparentlye pec ted.



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ortingalarge disk

etippedsideways,

addroppedonto the

ookat it that March

et.It waswornand

olorsofitsconcentric

t hadbeenset upin

ayswhentherewasa

hadoneofhis

oudycrinolinesand

atsandwhiskersre-

keghosts.

morecloselyat the

clamation.

S o me b od y h as b e en

hot,afterall, and

elieveold ink s

bad shootinghere.

stillwantedim-

ac h, laughing. Not

wherenearthebull s-

atteredabout inthewildest

repeated isher, still

get.Heseemed

chfanciedhiseyewas

andthat hestraight-

tha strangeeffort.

ment, hesaid, feelingin

vegot someofmyc hem-



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32/381

Much

llgouptothehouse.

thetarget,putting

vereachofthe shot-

dsee merelyadull-

nt throughthe

onggreenavenuesto

eccentricinvesti-

ront door.He

tilhe foundawindow

ntroducedhisfriend

egun-room.Rowsof

rbringingdownbirds

ut acrossatableinthe

ponsofa heavierand

rke sbig-gamerif les,

knewhekept themhere.

aminedit briefly,and

gheavily.Almost

ngmancamehurriedly

andsturdy,with

ulldog aw, andhe

e s g u ns h e re , h e s ai d ,

c kedup. He sgoing

rifleswithout cast-

er;throughtheopen

short,darkfigure



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immeringgarden.

dowagainandstood

mItoldyouabout, he

ort ofsec retaryand

spapers;but I neverknew

hhisguns. B ut he s

ensiblelittledevilwho

thing;thesort ofman

youf indhe sac hess

hedirectionofthe

ndtheysooncame

hehouse-partytalking

Theycouldsee the

of thelion-hunter

.

r ve d i s he r , w h en w e

eandHalkett,Isaid

rywellwritewithagun.

ow . Didyoueverhear

hecoulddrawwith

nderfulc haplooseabout

erandhisf riendthe

boisterousamiability.The

Ma orB urkeandMr.

a parenthesis)to

ommonplacelittleman

rybodyelseseemed



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34/381

Much

ection,asifhe werea

orofthe x chequer

ebirdshehadbrought

e andHalkett had

dsthat enkins,their

own.It seemedto

mania.

e, hee ac ulated,

Why, anybodyc ould

tobeashot toshoot

s ed H o me i s he r . N o w

ldflyup intheair out

vedflyingelephants

ght hit that sort ofbird,

yslappinghishost

emight hit ahaystac kor

s , s a id i s he r . I

thmefor aminute

se.Not ahippopota-

ranimalI vefound

nimalw iththreelegsand

ec olorsof therainbow.

youtalk ingabout?"

ee, replied isher,



e#pd-us-google


35/381

ect anythingnonsen-

eekingforsomething

edthemselvesfrom

alongat thetailof

ypausing,in asort

celebratedgilt sum-

t weathercockstill

turningto darkby

emotegreenby the

newandaimlessgame

k.

adefromthelawn,

esunset werelike

e hearse,whenthe

rvedroundandcame

ishost onthe

yfullyforwardtotake

erandarmhetouched

ndangular.Mr.

sguninanattitudemore

ssatiricfriendshad

blescreamseemed

wassounnatural

enethat it might have

manthingflyingon wings

pinginthedarkwoods

ewthat it hadstarted

psof ef ferson enk ins,



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36/381

Much

hat moment catch-

enk ins sfac ewouldhave

mmonplace.

rent ofgutturalbut

ef romMa orB urke

ensawwhat wasin

toodupinthe dim

nningat them,and

hadtwoeyeslike

ointsoflight were

edandopennostrils

deandtight mouth.

cheyeindicated

neofthemran up-

brilliant caricature

sandMarchknewof

owygrass,smeared

esubmarinemonsters

ht garden;but it had

pa i nt , s a id B u r k e . O l d

a okew iththat phosphor-

roldPuggy, observed

ofverywell.

ed, e c ept enk ins.

e madeanoiselike

altolaugh,and

trodeac rosstohim



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37/381

speak toyouat onc ein

ourseinthemoors,

ngingrock,that March

er,byappointment,

most grotesquescene

up inthegarden.

ofmine, observed

ttingphosphorusonthe

etomakehim ump

rssuddenly.And

dshot at shiningonthe

lit upwithaninfernal

iteenoughformyown

quiteunderstandeven

ac tlywhat hedidorwhy

ed isher, w ithhis

ryougavemethef irst

es,youdid;andit was

aidamanwouldn t

todineat agreat

ndtheinferencewas

here,he didn t mean

te,that hemight

urredtomeat once

tedthevisit tobeun-

doubtful,orsomething

ceptinghospitality.



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38/381

Much

nbullwasaterrorto

nthepast,andthat

ifyand denounceone

hestart pointedto

enk ins. I mmorallyc ertain

heundesirablealienTurn-

othershooting-affair,

entlemanhadanother

ldhavetobeaverygood

oodshot, said isher.

canpretendtobea very

esecondhint Ihit

ethinkit was

ousin sac c ount ofhis

acockadeoffahat

ilding.Now,in

erywellindeedtoshoot

shoot veryneatlyto

hehead,oreventhehat.

eat random,the

onethat theywould

nt andpicturesque

senbecausetheywere

eob ects.Theymake

ociety.Hekeepsthe

esummerhouseto

gend.And thenhe

eandwickedgun,



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39/381

helegendofhisown

anthat. Thereisthe

nthereisthe whole

enkinsgetschaffed

audycolors andall

posedtostamphimas an

ffact,upstarts

Godknowsthere s

ty ;andoneknows emwell

rylast thingtheydo.

ookeento knowthe

heyinstantlyput

ntothehands ofart

rts,whodothewhole

hardlyanothermillion-

ralcouragetohave

rlikethat onein

atter, there sthename

.NameslikeTompkins

sarefunnyw ithout being

gar without being

eyarecommon-

mon.Theyare ust the

kordinary,but they re

ary.Doyouknowmany

It' sagooddealrarer

muchthesamewiththe

nu. enkinsdresses

ut that' sbecausehe



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40/381

Much

meanhe saf ic titious

ousanimal. Hedoesn t

redwhat it must be

n t e ist? Imeanto

characterthat hehas

senot merelyofpersonal

ofhypocritehiding

apkin.Thismanhas

ngeniously;it was

villainhasdressed

nandaworthybusiness

andasaint;but the

tlecadwerereally

ut thedisguisemust be

can reallydothings.

cosmopolitangutter-

things, not onlyshoot,

robablyplaythefiddle.

ndthehidingof his

dneverhelpwanting

reuseless.If hecan

mindedlyonblotting

alhasoftendrawn

nblottingpaper.Prob-

blotsasheafterward

ts.It wasthesame

susedtarget inade-

t resist indulgingina

ecret drinking.You



e#pd-us-google


41/381

teredandirregular,and

dental.Notwodis-

different pointswere

edtoput them. There s

ematicalprecisionasa

bbledalittlein drawing

at toput onedot

velwitha penclose

amiracletodoit

B ut amanwhocan

waysitchtowork

edark .

ved,thoughtfully,

havebrought himdownlikea

eguns.

t intothegun-room,

id i t w i th o n e of B u r k e s

t heknewthesoundof

out without ahat,

hingbut acarpass-

wedforalittle way,

dmadeamistake.

,duringwhich isher

otionlessasontheir

edthegrayandsilver

hebushes.Then

Ofcourseheknowsthe

hbut youandI,

certainsofteninginhis



e#pd-us-google


42/381

Much

hinkyouandIw illever

" askedMarch, inan

haveyoudoneabout

togazesteadilyat

t hesaid, Thepolice

raccident.

snot.

oomuc h, replied

heriver. Iknowthat,

otherthings.Iknow

aythewholething

ssucceededin

gincurablycommon-

oucan t get upaper-

e Tich.IfIwere

at old inkwasan

st dieoflaughterbe-

t saytheirlaughter s

sgenuineinits way.

theycouldn t dowith-

mquiteinnoc ent. Ilike

mtobedownandout;

i n k ca n t p a y fo r h is

shnearthelineat

eonlyrealob ec tionto

.Nobodywouldbelieve

Thecrookedweather-

t ntoa oke.



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sisinfamous " asked

hngs, repliedthe

verhappentoblowthe

ellwith dynamite,

manracewillbemuch

etoohardonmemerely

etyis.That' swhyI

hingslikestinking

ettledhimselfdown

en headded:

tothrowback the



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44/381

C

atangleof tales

r o un d a n am e t ha t i s at o n ce r e ce n t an d

at ofMichaelO Neill,

chael,partlybecause

ncient enianprinces,

creditedwitha plan

sident ofIreland,as

ranc e. Hewasun-

honorablepedigreeand

s,but twoofhisaccom-

alltherest.He had

nhewasnot wanted

ingwhenhewas

hewaswantedbythe

t his disappearances

nhisappearances.In

beyondthesensational

iiousplac ards, tearingdown

amboyant speeches,or

ut inordertoeffect

timesfight forhisfree-

fromwhichmenwere

ewithabrokenhead



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ismost famousfeats

duetode terityand

lesssummermorn-

ountryroadwhitewith

afarmhouse,had

ter,withelegant indiffer-.

wereinpursuit ofhim.

ridget Royce,asomber

uty,and shelooked

bt, andsaid, Doyou

Uponwhic hheonly

erthestonewall,and

erelythrowingover

Thankyou, Ihave

bleofhidingmyself.

tedwithatragic

women;andthere

shineashadowof

roughthefarmhouse

wmomentslookingup

gpolicemencame

ereshestood.Though

ent,andaquarterof

hadsearchedthehouse

ngthekitchengarden

he uglyreactionof

beentemptedevento

forasmalldifficulty

onthanthepolicemen



e#pd-us-google


46/381

Much

iblyhavegone.The

edbyaverylowwall,

ayaslant likeasquare

onwhichhe couldstill

dot inthedistance.

its familiarplace;the

support orhidea

odopenand obviously

dsavethedroning of

sionalflutterofa bird

rprisedbythe scare-

scarcelyashadow

fellfromthethintree;

t bythebrilliant day-

.Thegirldescribed

passionaterealismof

othe policemenhad

resque,theyhadat

ofthecase,andwere

haseand retirefrom

eremainedasifina

t gardeninwhicha

likeafairy.Shewasstill

emiracletookinher

ndlinessandfear,as

a badfairy.Thesun

depressedhermore

econtinuedtostareat

ent half-wittedand

rowmovedinthesun-



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47/381

ackto herina

datatteredgarment,

g,it strodeaway

dacioustrickby

to hisadvantagethe

pectedandtheobvious;

udofmoreindividual

ticedmost ofallthat

idnot eventurntolook

hat wererunning

careerof freedom

nture,thoughit hadthe

uarter,shouldincrease

.Amongthemany

ofhiminthis manner

ysafterwardanother

oundhimconcealed

ked;andif thestory

vehadtheshockofan

rwhenshewasbusyat

d sheheardavoice

ndfoundthat theec-

ophimselfintothe

ttlewaybelow,thewell

thiscase,however,

omantowindupthe

whenthisnewswas

hat hersoulwalked

ason.



e#pd-us-google


48/381

Much

oriestoldof himin

eweremanymore

ntlyin asplendidgreen

sof agreat hotel,and

ethroughalongsuite

inallythroughhisown

at overhungtheriver.

ssteppedontothebal-

,andtheydroppedpell-

rs,whileMichael,who

d dived,wasableto

t hehadcarefully

theywouldnot sup-

apoliceman.B ut

atelyfortunate,yet

rit issaidthat oneof

vingafamilyfeud

ispopularity.These

somedetail,not be-

marvelousofhismany

hesealonewerenot cov-

altyof thepeasantry.

yintoofficialreports,

ofthe chiefofficialsof

nddiscussingwhenthe

hisstorybegins.

ndthelightsshone

foratemporarypolice

oneside ofit were

gling village,andon



e#pd-us-google


49/381

stemoorlandstretch-

heline ofwhichwas

cept asolitarytower

tillfound inIreland,

acolumn,but pointed

entableinfront of

lylookedout onthis

plainclothes,but with

aring,forindeedthey

detectiveserviceof

hetwo,both inage

n withashort white

wsf i edinaf rown

orrythanseverity.

hewas aLiver-

e Irishquarrels,and

min asourfashionnot

c.Hehadspokena

anion,Nolan,atall,

usequineIrishface,

mbersomethingand

n anotherroomThe

onedimmediatelyap-

ers inhishand.

hesaid. Thosearethe

rdoff ic er. Ithink I ve

ut ofthem,soIsent

ev idenc e " asked



e#pd-us-google


50/381

Much

ookedalittleheavier

d, answeredtheman

at,redhairand aplain,

rpness. Ithinkhe s

selfand isout against

omereasonof that

ruth about anything.

oldright enough.

ey llbesomesort ofuse,

ewhat hopelessman-

rkness.

d, saidMorton, that

ut him.

about him " askedthe

bout him, saidWilson,

gthat nobodyeverknew

heis.

quiredMorton, look ingat

dhisassistant. A t this

oweroverthereby

enoughyou llseethe

ow.

hornsoundedon

ment aftertheyheard

r brought toastand-

ninstantlysprang



e#pd-us-google


51/381

sthec arf romDublin,

y thingw ithout spec ial

tingon thetopof

histongueat us.B ut

hinksbest.

anceandwassoon

ithabighandsomeman

intothedingylittle

lowofthegreat cities

reat world.

Carey, anof f icialof

astlethat nothing

Michaelwouldhave

ourney inthemiddleof

fPrinceMichael,asit

tedbylegalismaswell

occasionhehad

bleandnot,as usual,

dit wasaquestion

ewasamenabletothe

essarytostretcha

alter couldprobably

.

oso wasaquestion

healmost aggressive

coat,it soonbecame

slargeleoninehead

ment,andhecon-

andsanelyenough.

ndtheplaindealtable,



e#pd-us-google


52/381


53/381


54/381

Much

but Idobelieveit,

elievetheseaffairswant

t ofallI believethey

ed,andthered-

slight touchof

s. Seehowthefellow

you llunderstandwhat

to standintheplace

ynothingbut anold

villagepolicemanwho

here,wase pectingit,

ceofit. NowInever

veneverseenoneinthe

whenIseeit inthe

meandworthnoticing.

mewhenhehidinthe

awellina place

ell, andsoyoudon t

t, andthereforeIdo

saidSirWalter, smil-

ebalc ony B alc oniesare

on.

underthem,asifit was

lson.

ea, repeatedSir

kerespect.Hehad

ousc lassesfornew ideas.



e#pd-us-google


55/381

alfaculty,andwasin-

flection,that it was

yturnedthewindow

henSir Walter got

ers rosealso,tak-

hearrest wastobe

derstoodfora mo-

fconsciousthat he

heways.

piercedbyalong,

oorsoutside.The

emedmorestartling

lasteduntilNolan

omebodyismarkedfor

cewasaspaleas

rememberthat he

heroom.

shee, saidWilson,

youthinkI amofthese

sheemyselfanhour

heeuptothetower

kethat ifshecouldget

tinghisproclama-

ridget Royc e " asked

browstogether.

sev idenc etothat e tent?"



e#pd-us-google


56/381


57/381

hichthetowerwasout-

kandthesea.

primitiveshape

wninthefirst daysof

rictimewheneven

ated,whentherewas

encloudandclay.

evedonlybyone spot

kof thec andlealight inthe

r,andburningon into

Asthegroupofde-

donofpolicemen,

tocut offallescape,the

sifit weremovedfor

out.Theyknewthe

edaylight andblown

ows, aren t there "

or,ofcourse,some-

Onlyaroundtower

mysmallsuggestion,

That queertower

enI cametothese

ittlemoreabout it

ofit. Thereare

onealittlewayfrom

osight.Thoseareboth

isthethirdon the

oftriangle.B ut the



e#pd-us-google


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59/381

begantowalkround

mandadmittance

ourse, remarkedSir

e pl i ed H o me i s he r , h e

estickthanmost men

ettysure tohavethe

uestionwasanswered

. Mortonhad ust

enearest window,

ngtheaperture. or

withinaswithredfire,

hrongofechoes.The

toalterin shape,and

amongthetall,rank

tower.Apuffof

ndowlikealittle cloud.

dto thespot and

ad.

imselfandcalledout

nanothernoiseoffir-

epolicewerealready

omtheotherside.

edroundtothene t

stonishment fromhim

me spot.Nolan,the

allen,sprawlingall

ss,andit wasredwith



e#pd-us-google


60/381

Much

ewhentheyreached

nhis face,andhewas

esturetellingthemthat

rokenwordanda

emontowherehis

egingthebackofthe

pidandrepeated

onlyvaguelyobeythe

waytothe other

discoveredascene

land tragic.The

t deadormortally

ywitha brokenleg

m,evidentlythrown

ofthe tower;while

te stillasifstunned,

e grayandsilverof

ever,theimpotence

beganto moveand

undthetower.

a n e p l os i on " c r i ed S i r

stheonlywordfor

whichonemanhad

destructiononthree

angleat thesame

mbledtohisfeet and

againat thewindow,

wiceinto theopen-

nhis ownsmoke;but



e#pd-us-google


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62/381


63/381


64/381


65/381

eyweredestinedto

osedin everycorner

nedtheroofalmost inthe

nhourafterwardthey

erestillwithout aclew.

ec retaryseemedmoreand

ppropriateslumber,

toclimbuptheladder,

ergyevento climb

c alledout SirWalter

ershadregainedthe

derwhetherwe llpull

osee what it' smade

ute, saidthevoic efrom

s,a voicesomewhat

eyawn.

gfor " askedSirWal-

youseeanythingthere "

repliedthevoic e,

t quiteplainnow.

edWilson, sharply , f rom

kickinghisheelsrest-

s a id H o me i s he r .

bleasif hehadbeen

oyoumean " hec ried.

seeaman "

hew indow, replied



e#pd-us-google


66/381

Much

seehimcomingacross

abeelineacrossthe

ower.Heevidently

nd,consideringwho

wouldbemorepolite

orec eivehim. A nd

secretarycamedown

" repeatedSirWalter

emanyouc allPrinc e

isher, airily. In

veseenthepoliceportraits

andSir Walter s

edtogoround likea

h e s ai d a t l as t , e v en s u p-

ncouldhavethrownhim

passingthroughany

himaliveenoughfora

enthen, whythedev ilshould

Themurdererdoes

ceneofhiscrimeso

et that it isthesc eneof

ome isher.

umean Youc redit

senceofmind.

sn t thesc eneofhis



e#pd-us-google


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69/381

tedhiswitstospeak

thout.It wasthe

ablow uponthedoor

hakenspiritsit

hammerofdoom.

wermovedon its

dthat struckit and

heroom.Nobody

out hisidentity.His

edwithhisadventures,

oppishcut,andhewore

l,perhapsas afurther

poleon;but hewasa

efulmanthat hisproto-

uldspeakhehadsi-

tant withaslight but

ality.

d, thisisapoorplac e

elcome.

cover,andhetooka

er.

est youintheking s

rancisMortonand

u t y to w ar n y ou "

c ried isher, sud-

ommit athirdmurder.

mhischair,which

ndhim. What does

lledout inanauthoritative



e#pd-us-google


70/381

Much

s he r , t h at t h i s m an ,

shehadput hishead

stwocomradeswho

heotherwindows,by

m.That iswhat it

know,count how

to havefiredand

t inhisrevolver.

ngon thetable,

rtheweaponthat lay

t movement wasthe

fortheprincestanding

denlyfromthedig-

tnessofanacrobat

ofthedetective shand.

ed . S o y ou a r e th e t yp e

mof Irishtragedy

adingthroughthe

ey hadfallenin

ouldbecalledmurder,

eforgivenyou.But I,

be slainwithcere-

gspeechesandpatient

ainplea ofinnocence,

ddisregardingit.Yes,

ation.But killingmay

eshot left inthislittle

houldgo.

thetable,andeven

agony,forMichael



e#pd-us-google


71/381

wherehe sat,sothat

e lumber.

m;Sir Walter stood

hastrangeandweary

poke.

f theIrishtragedy,

rely intheright, and

ewrong.

kemarblefor aspace;

eyesalight not unlike

dsuddenlyandflung

round.

ong, hesaid. Ihave

ay ustlybringacurse

ementirelysatisfied

ntance;hekept hiseyes

inalowvoic e, What

sh ustice, repliedPrinc e

edyourk ing sof f icers;

shangman. orthat

ed.

ewithagesture

endertothem,but

rrest him.

me ishertoldto

alist,manyyearsafter,

restaurant nearPicca-



e#pd-us-google


72/381

Much

to dinnersome

led The ac einthe

sationhadnaturally

dafterwardonearlier

ifeandthewayinwhich

roblemsasthoseof

sherwasfifteenyears

edtofrontalbald-

ndsdroppedlesswith

fatigue.Andhetold

ntureofhisyouth,

st occasiononwhich

ct withcrime,ordis-

owterriblycrimecan

efirst criminalIever

eman, e plained

glass. A ndallmy

upbusinessof thesort.

talent,andperhaps

dying,bothasa de-

whitefaceandr ed

r hewasoneofthose

ireforfame;andhe

ot ambition.Heswal-

periorsinthat first

withresentment;but

twoheadsdark against

e twowindows,he

,not onlyofrevenge,



e#pd-us-google


73/381

wo obstaclestohis

shot andcounted

proofagainst him

y case.B ut,asa

arrowescape,inthe

ust longenoughtosay,

Wethought hewassum-

de,but hewasreally

. A f terthat it was

derabovehim (for

seeclearlywhat is

hrowhimself onthe

fthecatastrophe.

edupw ithhismurderous

onlyinhisowntalents,

did believeinwhat

hedidwant scopefor

somethinginhis

chthingscommonly

cannot seetheunseen.

ndthe scarecrow,

he soul;andhemade

amanlikeMichael

womanscream.All

dvainglorymadehim

dhavewalkedinto

sglove.Callit hispose

ouldhavedoneit.

met herisanotherstory,

w,but fromtalesI ve



e#pd-us-google


74/381

Much

avebeenreconciled.W il-

herewassomething,

at thenewcomer

anonthespot may

ything.Hewasright

sright about me.

edHaroldMarc hinsome

wstoomuc htoknow

odoanything, said

t meanespec iallyabout

ngland.Imeanabout

erned,andperhaps

overned.Youasked

meofthesurvivorsof

n recoveredandwe

toretire.B ut wehad

murderermoremag-

hoeverfought for

aveMichaelfromthe

hat perfectlyinnocent

a crimeweknowhe

asonlyafterwardthat

kishwayat hisescape.

imeMinisterof this

robablyneverhave

toldofsucha hor-

ment.It might have

reland;it wouldcer-

Andheismyfather s



e#pd-us-google


75/381

smotheredmewith

up withthewhole

ertainlyneverborn

ressed,not tosay

t alloffendedat it.Let

byallmeans,ifyoulike.

sB urgundy It' s

likethe restaurant

earnedlyandlu uri-

eworld;onwhich

ralistswouldconsiderthat



e#pd-us-google


76/381

SCHOOLBOY

nwouldbeneeded

zigzagcourseof

ndertakenbyanunc leand

oretruly,of anephew

ephew, aschoolboyon

e godinthecar,or in

on, whilehisuncle

ngbeforehimand

t moresoberly,the

ofthestolidairof a

dtour,whilehis

edtothepositionof a

shadtopayforevery-

oolboywasofficially

andina moresocial

publictribute tohis

ographerandelec-

Rev.ThomasTwy-

gentlemanwithared,

Hewas intheordi-

man,but hewasoneof

ado ofbeingfamous

etheyarefamousin



e#pd-us-google


77/381

l circleofecclesias-

weretheonlypeople

doneanother sdis-

cognizedandrespect-

ht havefoundeven

eat least asmuc hof the

nephew sholiday .

enwhollypater-

manyotherintelligent

theweaknessofplay-

mself,onthetheory

d.Histoyswere

ziersandswordsof

over them,tellinghim-

seeallthe sightsof

he day,aftera

gavethegameaway

nwhichhardlyany

eivedastakingan

ergroundc hambersupposedto

tlye cavatedonthe

andcontainingliter-

oneoldsilvercoin.

oknew,wasmoresoli-

Koh-i-noor.It was

arthe headofSt.

emost vitalcontro-

BritishChurch.It could

r,that thecontrover-

mparativelycold.



e#pd-us-google


78/381

Much

erestedSummers

didnot interest him,

hisuncleforseveral

nglishsc hoolboy s

rtlingknowledge

alclassificationinwhich

ndconfoundhiselders.

tled,at Hampton

et theverynamesof

amofOrange;but

dfromsomedetails

ftheelectricbellsin

wassolidlydazedby

his not sounnatural

ethelumberroomof

ssfulstatuaryofthe

hehadamagicand

estminsteromnibuses,

mnibussystemof

mbersofwhichhe

raldry.Hewould

taryconfusionbetween

ndadark-greenB ays-

wouldat theidentifi-

aRomanimage.

seslikestamps "

must needaratherlarge

eminyourloc ker "

ad, repliedthenephew,



e#pd-us-google


79/381

dmit, repliedthe

werevaintoaskfor

arnedthat out ofa

rdlyseemstobea

uldbepermanentlyon

oldladiesgettinginto

must get out ofthis

want toshowyou

sPenny.

athedral " askedthe

theyalighted.

werearrestedby a

overingtherewitha

t wasthat ofadark,

beratherlikea cas-

hishead wasoftoo

etta.It suggested,

dressofPersiaor

sblackbeardappear-

ischin,and hislarge

acelikethe flat decora-

gyptianprofiles. B e-

rethana general

ivedinto thedoor-

stination.

vegroundofthe

pt astrongwoodenhut,

or manymilitary

woodenfloorofwhich

moverthe e cavated



e#pd-us-google


80/381


81/381


82/381


83/381


84/381

Much

ossibilityofreopen-

bratelabor,e cept by

wouldprobablyarouse

wasalwayswithina

adfallenasleep.A

dhaveshowedmanymore

theeyeoftheRev.

,wasalreadyriveted

uchmore thedull

he whitelight against

kvelvet.

dtoc ommemoratethe

n,wasprobablypre-

theeighthcentury,

earbut colorlessvoice.

ssupposedtohavebeen

rians,andit reappears,

northernGoths,in

familyof Gothland.

keofGothland,re-

privatecustody,and

bit it tothepublic,placed

t wasimmediately

er

mersMinor,whose

strayedfromthereli-

ntury,caught sight ofa

ingin abrokenpatch

himselfat it,call-

t c onnect "



e#pd-us-google


85/381

onnect,forno

atwitchthanthe

siftheyhadall been

t afterwardtheyheard

ngdoor.

eit now, saidSymon, in

ftera pausehe

llmissussoonerorlater,

it open;but it may

enthe unconquer-

avemyelectrictorch.

le, withrestraint, that

cedofyourinterest in

marked,moreami-

rettedanyofmyown

thepipe.Though,as

muchfunsmokingin

emsdifferent inthe

ent inthedark , saida

nwhocalledhimself

musicalvoice,and

sinisterandswarthy

isible. Perhapsyou

eatruththat is.Allyou

he sun,facesandfur-

s.Thethings them-



e#pd-us-google


86/381

Much

eto you.Something

whereyousaw a

ofyourfriendmay

rk.

ebrokethestillness.

nd,andthensaid,

it' sasuitableoc c asion

d.

c r ie d t he i n di g na n t S u m-

dacrow,but also

. A ndwho safunk ,

saidtheothervoic e

ut silenc ealsomakes

nedunbrokenfor

eclergymansaidto

ht about air "

eotheraloud; there s

nthe office ust bythe

fallingchairtold

erisinggenerationhad

rosstheroom.They

A c hi m ne y W h y , I l l

st inmuf f led, but

yandvainly,groped



e#pd-us-google


87/381

ing,and,peeringup

skofdaylight,which

efugitivehadvanished

acktothe group

everthefallenchair

ect himselfagain.He

peakto Symon,when

foundhimselfblink-

whitelight,andlook-

sshoulder, hesawthat

n.

sat last, heobserved

wasleaningagainst

witha smilecarved

orris, went onTwy-

on. O neofusw ill

ght went out.W ill

ing.Hewasstand-

ookingsteadilyat

eglassscreen.Hewas

becausetherewas

t. Paul sPennywas

roomwithtwo

wonewsightseersde-

foremost wasatall,

gmanwithabald



e#pd-us-google


88/381

Much

ose;hiscompanion

ht,curly hairand

eyes.Symonscarcely

mers;it seemedalmost

at thereturnofthe

gattitude.Thenhe

,andwhenhesawthe

his palefaceseemed

i s he r " a n d t he n a ft e r a

c e, I minthedev il

ofamysterytobe

hegentlemansoad-

up, saidthepale

ldclearit up,youcould.

saidanothervoic e

dtheyturned insur-

manintheblackrobe

oonel, sharply . A ndhow

edetec tive "

ythedetec tive, an-

arvoic elikeabell. I

an.Oneofthe ma-

a, Colonel.

nt,andthenHome

odybysay ing, Well,



e#pd-us-google


89/381

s gentlemancanhave

adanautomatic

ng: No, leaveallthe

afeguard.

akenawaynow, said

replied isher.

pstairsfornews

ndhereceivednews

cepuzzledandre-

bovelay oneof

chboysthrowat

olmasterisout ofthe

enthrowninat the

oldeddisplayeda

whichran: Dear

youat thehotel

esignature.

is,theclergyman

ngvoluntarilytohis

agoodsecondinhis

nephew,andbefore

ound himselfencircled

loss,andmoreorless

t oftheire citement.

querycontinuedtorun

dreallyhappenedto

boy se ac t def inition



e#pd-us-google


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91/381

rvesas asort ofbridge

,bywhichtheforce

were,anelectric

hersenses.It opens

nd.

said isher, eitherw ithsim-

ony. Whynot open

MyfriendHarold

ometimesseethings,

e c ept inthedark ,

ereclosingroundthe

ouds,ofwhichonlythe

the littlewindow,like

ost asifsomehuge

oundtheplace.B ut

epeningtodarkgray;

saidthemagusw ith

amovement inthat

orethat thingshappen

eneevercametobe

soffice,ofallplaces,was

memoryofmany,in-

ecalledit likeasort

ngtheycouldnot con-

llya magnetism

hapstherewaseven



e#pd-us-google


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93/381

onthe floor,likethe

t isovertherein

k.

fmenturningand

oftheirstiffening,for

woodenfloortherewas

ight.It wasthe

om.Thecigarhad

amethevoic eof the

pointingthewayto

thieftorestitution.I

Hisvoicetrailedoffinto

yformanyminutes,

whenthe theft had

wasbrokenbythe

andthesoundofsome-

kea tossedhalf-

ried isherinaloudand

ngtohisfeet withfarless

ust begoingnow, but

reIgo.W hy,Icame

idseeit,for St.

gonthef loorat hisfeet.

plained isher, whenhe

dTwyfordat lunch

merelywantedtoplay

wngame.



e#pd-us-google


94/381

Much

ocatchhiminhis own

Ic an t makeheadortail

ymindhewasalways

khewasnecessarilya

e policealwaysseem

for thesakeofsilver,

wellbestolenout of

nawaymonkturned

orsomemystical

r , t h e ru n aw ay m o nk i s

snot thethief.And

r,either.Hesaid one

ht.

inquiredMarc h.

etism.Asamatter

ansofamagnet.

edpuzzled,headded,

et belongingtoyour

rtand, ob ec tedMarch.

eschoolboy smagnet, I

eschoolboy.

sher, ref lectively , it rather

y.

umean "

oyisacuriousthing,

meditativemanner. It

thingsbesidesclimb-

ncangrowgray in



e#pd-us-google


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havethesoulof a

rnwithagreat repu-

ut inchargeofagreat

vethe soulofa

wakenedbyanacci-

oreso whentothe

ptic,whoisgenerally

y.Yousaid ust now

ebyreligiousmania.

ligiousmania I

violently,especiallyin

magiciansinIndia.

thetemptationofshow-

endousshamnearer

arch seyesashe

the widerimplica-

ut Twyfordwasstill

mat atime.

hesaid, that Colonel

nwhoc ouldusethe

her. Infac t, youroblig-

berofthings hecould

,andaninstrument

oodenf loor Imade

nthefloor inmy

elights left onbelow,

.

edonhischair. B ut



e#pd-us-google


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97/381

d fun w ithit. Yes, I

now. B ut it' s ust the

me.Howdidit all

mwithlevellidsand

astaken, hesaid. The

s ownperson,and

h hisownhands.

ordstammered.

you. Yougivemethe

uspeakplainer "

ouldunderstandme

er.

y , saidMarc h, still

ied isher, withasigh;

urse, that it' sabadbusi-

it' sabadbusinesswho

ut it' salwayshap-

e canhardlyblame

oaforeignprincess

hdoll, andtheyhavetheir

prettybigfling.

asTwyfordcer-

wasalittleout ofhis

but astheotherwent

dgentleman sfeatures

t morganaticaffairI



e#pd-us-google


98/381

Much

ust havebeenafoolto

awomanlikethat.

ckmail;but it' ssome-

t get it out ofthe

yget it out oftheYank,

hadrisento

nephewhadnothingtodo

dif that' swhat theworld

haveanythingto

e d Ho m e i s he r . N o

hat onecanhavefar

ndeednothingto do

highersignificance

o dowiththestory,

e boywent likea

fthis taleofcrooked

yandcameout onthe

nunspoiledpurposes.

mneyheclimbedhehad

ibus,whosecolorand

,asa naturalist might

st anewflower.And

rapturedinrushing

on that fairyship.



e#pd-us-google


99/381

E LL

d,inthered and

yellowseasofsandthat stretc hbeyond

se,therecanbefound

,whichisnonethel ess

ceinternationaltreaties

ftheB ritishoccupa-

mongarchaeologists

yamonument,but

nd.B ut it isaround

ndprobablyapart of

ksofremoteanddis-

ancient thananything

eisagreen fringeof

dtheblackmouthof

euppermasonryre-

andbatteredstonesstand-

ewayofnowhere,in

nscendentalarchae-

at moonriseorsunset,

nt linesoffiguresor

abylonianmonstrosity;

carchaeologists,inthe

ight,seenothingbut



e#pd-us-google


100/381

Much

yhavebeennoticed,

hmenarenot archaeolo-

bledinsucha place

poseshavehobbies

ndit isasolemnfact

asterne ilehavec on-

linksout ofthegreen

fortableclubhouse

mevalmonument at

tuallyusethisarchaic

eit wasbytradition

orpracticalpurposes

gpro ectilesent into

iterallyasalost ball.

droundit intheirinter-

ngcigarettes,andone

downfromtheclubhouse

ewhat moodilyinto

worelight c lothesand

grees,but there,for

blanceended.And

eouslysaidthesame

wototallydifferent

ws " askedtheman

d.

emanbythewell. B ut

hewordas ayoung

woman,andthesecond



e#pd-us-google


101/381

t about theweather,

ertainlywithout

womenwas suffi-

efirst,whowasa

asofaboldand boyish

ofnativeheat inhis

otheatmosphereof

heardorsandambitions

asanolder manand

t, ac ivilianoff ic ial

roopingeyelidsand

e pressedallthepara-

n in t h e a s t. H e wa s

gbut cool.

necessarytomen-

plendid.That would

ousconversationabout

yknew.Thestriking

ombinationofTurks

onbytroopsunderthe

s,theveteranofso

asalreadyspreadby

e mpire,let alone

eartothebattlefield.

the worldcould

at, c riedCaptainB oy le,

ook ingsilently into

rheanswered: Wec er-



e#pd-us-google


102/381

Much

akingmistakes.That' s

nswent wrong.They

andsticktothem.

lent inunmakinga

askedB oy le, what.

wsit lookedlikebiting

w, repliedHome

uiarityofMr. isherthat

bodyknewthingswhich

millionwaseverallowed

c ertainly olly lucky

ell inthenickof

ht thing sbeendone

mmand,evenwhena

mand.LikeColborne

provinceto the

heother.

immerneswouldhave

canal, observed

thougheverybodyknows

t alwayspaymuchnowa-

naslightlypuzzled

onsciousofneverhav-

rnesinhislife,he could

aL ittle nglander.



e#pd-us-google


103/381

dhehadapleasant

saL ittle nglander,

werebac k inL ittle

ou retalkingabout, I m

erman,rathersuspi-

nkyoudidn t reallyad-

o r a n yt h in g .

r e p l ie d i s he r . H e s

spost;heunderstands

ythingwiththem.

ainst pushingTravers

useofthislast

rtandwhat you redriv -

frank ly .

thunderstanding, an-

and, anyhow, weneedn t

heArablegend

knowmuchabout A rab

ratherstiff ly .

take, replied isher,

oint ofview.Lord

legend.That is

thinghereallyis. If

uldweakenusallover

storyabout that hole

ownnobodyknows



e#pd-us-google


104/381

Much

tedme,rather.It' s

w,but Ishouldn t

wayolderthan

t somebodytheycall

urfriendofthelamp,

min havingtodowith

ngofthat sort.They

antstobuild himasort

dhigher aboveall

theHighest,asthe

t theTowerofB abel.

TowerofB abelwere

cpeople,likemice,

n.Theyonlywanted

heaven ameretrif le.

ouldpassheavenand

ngforever andever.

toearthwithathunder-

rth,boringa hole

madeawellthat was

werwas tohavebeen

at invertedtower

eproudSultanisfall-

ouare, saidB oy le.

ouldbelievethose

oraland not the

her. B ut herec omesL ady

hink.



e#pd-us-google


105/381

nkswas used,of

posesbesidesthat of

enterof thegar-

taryheadquarters;

abar,andevenan

aryforthoseofficerswho

ketheirprofessionseri-

egreat generalhim-

ndfaceof bronze,

wereoftento be

andfoliosof the

stingsbelievedin

hersevereideals of

aternaladviceonthe

hoseappearancesinthat

hermoreintermittent.

atchesof studythat

t comeout throughthe

ontothegolf links.

asso appointedasto

ncesofladiesat least

dLadyHastingswas

uchasocietyalmost

room.Shewas

,assomesaid,eminently

Shewasmuch

,anattractiveand

ttractivelady;andMr.

erheralittlesardoni-

withtheyoungsoldier.



e#pd-us-google


106/381

Much

strayedto thegreen

thewell,growthsof

tioninwhichonethick

heotherwithout stalk

minda sinisterfeel-

out shapeorpurpose.

est growstotheblos-

is content.B ut this

out ofhandsorlegs

mare. Alwaysadd-

mpire, hesaid, w itha

resadly, but Idoubt

rokeinon his

upandsmiled,see-

d.Thevoicewas,

thantheface,which

idedlygrim.It wasa

ngular awsandheavy,

belongedtoanemi-

oughhewasnowat-

pacitytothepolice

ert Graynewasper-

st thaneitheralaw-

hismorebarbarous

edsuccessfulinturn-

combinationofall

holeseriesof

oodtohiscredit.B ut

ntedwith,orattracted



e#pd-us-google


107/381

hofknowledge,his

what solitary.Among

Home isher, whohada

gtoalmost anybody

it archaeology " in-

neverc ometotheend

.Ishouldsaythat what

worthknow ing.

ied isher, w ithavery

venbitterness. It' s

t worthknowing.All

l thesecret reasons

beryandblackmail

t besoproudofhav-

ewersthat Ishould

ys inthestreet.

W h a t ' s t h e m at t er

sf riend. Ineverknew

s el f , r e pl i ed i s he r .

ow ingc oldwaterontheen-

ationishardlye haustive,

pert.

onsensetheenthusi-

c ontinued isher, but I

t ageillusionscanbe

erthanthe reality,any-

yugly responsibility



e#pd-us-google


108/381

Much

anout oftherut ofthe

" inquiredhisf riend.

himoffw iththesame

ection, answered

esssort ofdirection, a

thebottomlesswell.

enduntila fortnight

elfinthe gardenat

onthe oppositeside

avilycoloredand

ropicalplantsinthe

woothermenwere

henowcelebrated

liartoeverybodyas

man,wholooked

furrowinhisbrow

out theveryshapeof

had ust beenserved

abnowofficiatingas

theclub,thoughhe

ar,andevenfamous,

eneral.Hewent by

notableamongother

allengthofhisyellow

owforeheadwhich

them,andgaveanir-

ethingsinister,inspite

dquitetrust that



e#pd-us-google


109/381

henthemanhadgone

ust, Itakeit, forhewas

ngs,andsavedhislife,

oftenlikethat,loyalto

eelinghemight cut any-

evendo it treacherously.

s, witharathersoursmile,

astingsalonetheworld

assingsilence,full

battle,andthenHome

t theworld, Tom.

hem. verybody in

wellenough.

ot talkabout thegen-

r ke d G ra yn e , f o r he s u s t

r e, s a i d i s he r . H e s

car.

dycameout onthe

byher husband,who

ofherto openthe

sheturnedbackand

olitarymanstill sitting

owofthedoorway,

esertedclubsavefor

hegarden. isher

theshadow,andsaw

e.



e#pd-us-google


110/381

Much

ertotheirsurprise,the

emountingthesteps,

oy leinhisturn. Then

rried upwithtwo

omenre-enteredthe

pinhis hand.The

fwhitelight inthegrow-

theelectriclampshad

arybeyond.

esearc hes, said

u uriesoflearning

ell,I must begoing,

aswell. A ndhegot

scompanions,and

stic k ingtosc ientif ic

i s he r . I m n o t v e ry

yself.B ut let' stalk

hingelselonger

ed,untilthetropical

ndidmoonpainted

r;but beforeit was

y isherhadalready

libraryhadbeen

Hewaitedforthetwo

ardenentrance,but

orastroll onthe



e#pd-us-google


111/381

pliedGrayne. It' sgoing

hadspokenthey

out oftheshadow

eastonishedtoper-

wardthem,callingout

youfellows, hec ried.

prettybadout onthelinks.

ungingthroughthe

elibrarybeyond,in

alaswellasmaterial.

piteofhisaf fectationof

ofacuriousandal-

bilitytoatmospheres,

senceofsomething

collidedwitha piece

andalmost shuddered

g movedashecould

eoffurnituremoving.

vingthing,yielding

ene t moment Grayne

ndhesawhehad only

erevolvingbookstands

struckhim;but hisin-

ledtohimhis own

methingmysteriousand

veraloftheserevolv-

ereandthereabout the

od thetwocupsof



e#pd-us-google


112/381

Much

rgeopenbook.It

n gyptianhieroglyphic s,

gebirdsand gods,

st,hewasconsciousof

act that this,andnot

e,shouldbeopenin

t.Hewasevencon-

ell-linedbookshelf

en,andit seemed

ugly fashion,likea

nisterface.

wminutesto the

front ofthebottom-

sf romit, ina moon-

ylight,theysawwhat

yproneonhis

htherewasatouchof

ff,withoneelbowerect

ingdoubled,and his

herankandragged

asB oyle,almost as

donhishandsandknees,

might havebeenno

dent;but therewas

nnaturalabout the

hegapingface.It

edfromhim.B ehind,

clearbluesouthern

he desert,e cept for



e#pd-us-google


113/381

esinfront ofthewell.

ndatmospherethat

edinthemenormous

wn.

dtouchedthestrong

gthegrass,and it

eknelt bythebody

nt applyingothertests;

d, withasort ofcon-

.

andthen Travers

isyourdepartment,

questionCaptain

seof what he

togetherandrisen

llworeanawfule -

ewmaskor theface

ell, hesaid, and

ndown.

ydark . A syousay,

id. Imust f irst askyou

elibraryandlet me

ghly .

dthebodyin the

isherandsaid, in

editsfullnessandcon-

oloc kmyself inandmake



e#pd-us-google


114/381

Much

nf irst. Ilook toyouto

rs andmakeapre-

fB oy le. Iw illta lk to

phonetoheadquarters

mcomehereat once

m.

reat criminalinves-

edlibrary,shuttingthe

sher,without replying,

ietly toTravers.

d, that thethingshould

hat place.

eryc urious, replied

yedanypart init.

sher, that thepart it

riousstill.

meaninglesswords

oyleand,takinghis

anddowninthemoon-

brupt andwhite

rnedout thelightsin

ontothelinks. isher

e,inhislistlessfashion;

rforwhomhehadsent

nthebackground.

Travers, observed

e lllookafterhim, andhe d

nyhow.

out ofhim " asked



e#pd-us-google


115/381

uwhat heandHastings

i s he r , h e g av e m e a pr e tt y

saidthat afterLady

thegeneralasked

in thelibraryand

lantiquities.Hehim-

k forB udge sbook in

tandswhenthegen-

bookshelvesonthe

eoftheplatesthey

atherabruptly,onto

rdtheold well;and

ntoit heheardathud

ndto findthegeneral

himselfdroppedon

ebody, andthenwas

errorandcouldnot

hit.B ut Ithinkvery

t inarealshockof

undinthequeerest

f attention,and

dyoumanylies. It' s

dconsistent account

verythingofimpor-

anythinginthere "



e#pd-us-google


116/381

Much

ything, answered

ewhat gloomysilence,

e planationinquiet

isher, whenyousaid

angerofgoingdown

hetherorno,as

ougavetohisv iewofthe

with it,hehasnot

wellfor sometime.

ness, andIdon t want to

typlainthat hiswife

either.Idon t know

t asfarasconceal-

adyHastingsspoketo

shehadhiddenanote

ibrary.The general

howtoknow,andhe

ndfound it.He

andtheyhad ascene,

sconfrontedwithsome-

tedwithanawful

thelifeofoneoldman

meant triumphand

i s he r , at l a s t, I d o n t b l a me

ewoman spart of the

nowabout theletter "

al sbody, answered



e#pd-us-google


117/381

rsethingsthanthat.

he wayratherpeculiar

aticsort.ThenI

ps,andIknewenough

the dregsofoneof

ent straight tothe

ofcoffeeonthebook-

room.W hilehis

oylewaspretendingto

,hewasleft alonewith

takesabout ten

utes walkwould

sswell.

sher, andwhat about the

esswellgot todowith

thit, replied isher.

rlyconfoundingand

articularholeinthe

owithit? "

nyourc ase, said

t insist onthat ust now.

otherthingIought to

yleawayinchargeof

t astruetosayI sent

yle.

sayyoususpec t Tom

her.



e#pd-us-google


118/381

Much

against thegeneral

observedHome isher,

e.

ingwhat youmean,

uIfoundthepoisonin

d, ofc ourse, added

tredorhire. Weagreed

nything.

ncapableofhurting

ayne.

i s he r , am i ab l y, I d a re

ould ust liketohave

ecoffeecups.

ayneturnedto the

andhandedhimascrib-

edfromheadquarters.

edoff;and Grayne,

library, foundhim

emiddleof theroom,

ups.

ookedforB udge, or

accordingtoyour

downinahalf-crouch-

evolumesinthelow,

olebookstandwasnot

arytable.Thene t

fhehadbeenstung.

cr i ed .



e#pd-us-google


119/381

adeverseen Mr.

shebehaved ust then.

door,sawthat the

went out ofit witha

dle,andwent racing

kofthedisappearing

toodstaringafterhim,

ure,returning,restored

andairofleisure.He

ywithapieceof paper,

olentlyintercepted.

heobserved. We

et asdeath.Hastings

heart disease.

trouble " demanded

i s he r , t h at i n a f e w

veryagreeablealter-

ganinnoc ent manorknoc k ing

hell.

askedGrayne, that

obepunished "

adily.

hesaid.

ehewent on. You

ithadmirableskill,old

d wastrue.Twomen

ointo thelibraryand

okstandanddid go

e ofthemwasa



e#pd-us-google


120/381

Much

sonintheother scup.

eB oylewaslookingat

edidlookat it,

udgebookwiththe

Hastingshadalready

thewall.It waspart

shouldfindit first.

earcharevolving

generallyhopallround

kea frog.Hesimply

sit revolve.

oorashespoke,

erhisheavylidsthat

Themysticismthat

he cynicismofhis

andmovinginthedepths.

tedturnsandinflections,

speaking.

edid;hebarelytouched

ndaseasilyasthe

ymuchasthe world

at turnedit wasnot

eelof allthestars,

ought it fullcircle,

emight return.

dGrayne, slowly , to

bleideaof what you

a id i s he r , w he n B o y l e

hisstoopingposture,



e#pd-us-google


121/381

whichhehadnot

hadnot noticed,which

wocoffeecupshad

s.

eemedtohave

e;not alineofit

nit camewasune -

hesaid, and, asyou

hebetter.It was

get ridofthehus-

therthing. A ndatalelikethat

uldruinushere.Had

thestart? "

asItoldyou, an-

that waswhat stumped

auseit hadanything

dnothingtodowith

choosinganap-

: Whenamanknows

tenminutes,andtakes

thomablepit,hemeans

hat elseshouldhe

havethesensetodoit,

fool. Well, whydid

moreIthought of it the

ssomemistakein the

ebodyhadtakensome-

andyet hewasnot



e#pd-us-google


122/381

Much

ugly,unformedidea

ersalofparts; thenI

andmyself,byacci-

everything,forI saw

more,likemoonsin

aynesaid, And

newspapers "

h,iscomingalong

d isher. Heisavery

ournalist.B ut forall

onorableman,soyou

.

erwasagainwalk ing

ubhouse,withCap-

his timewithavery

ir;perhapsasadderand

" hewassay ing. A m

gtobec leared "

answered isher, that

spected.B ut youare

eared.Theremust

m,andthereforenosus-

spicionagainst him,

nst him,wouldknock

Mandalay.Hewas

ror amongtheMos-

most callhimaMos-

serv ice. O fc oursehe



e#pd-us-google


123/381

causeofhis ownlittle

egot it fromhismother,

s;everybodyknows

e, mechanically , staring

everybodyknowsthat.

touc hof it inhis eal-

anc e, went on isher.

ecrimewouldruinusamong

auseit wassome-

hospitality.It' sbeen

prettyhorridforme.

gsthat damnedwellc an t

alivethat' soneof them.

" askedB oy le, glancing

shouldyou, ofall

bout it? "

heyoungmanwitha

, i t ' s b e c au s e I m a L it t le

what youmeanby

eredB oyle,doubtfully.

ndissolittleasallthat?"

thinhisc oldvoice,

manac rossafewthousand

halot ofidealpa-

but it' spractical

me,and withno

sifeverythingal-



e#pd-us-google


124/381

Much

over theworld,ina

minatinginHastings.

onewrongwithus

Hewastheonename

with, andthat mustn t go

sbadenoughthat a

ouldplant ushere,where

glishinterest toserve, and

us,simplybecause

moneytohalfthe

hthat anoldpawn-

uldmakeusfight his

withourright handcut

tingsandhis vic-

ebodyelse svictory.

andso haveyou.

silence,hepointed

landsaid,in aquieter

t believeinthephilos-

n.I don t believe

ntilit reachesthesky;

nion ac kgoingupand

.B ut ifyouthink

on ac kgodownand

ttomlesswell,down

ottomlesspit,down

dthe eersofthevery

u s dr y n o I w on t , a nd

ncellorwereblack-



e#pd-us-google


125/381

reswiththeirgutter

stermarriedtwenty

fWoodvilleandCarstairs

lingmines.If the

d helpit,it mustn t

witha bewilderment

hadevenatouchof

thereseemstobesome-

hethingsyouknow.

o me i s he r . I a m n ot

llstockofknowledge

spartlyresponsible

d,Idon t knowthat you

ofhisfirst boast,

ytowardthe bottom-



e#pd-us-google


126/381

ISH RMAN

betooe traor-

Ifit isclean

s,andhasapparently

ences,subsequent events

ainsonlyasubcon-

bysomeaccident long

orgottendream;

anydreams,at day-

heend ofdark,that

giventoamansculling

est country.The

econsideredhimself

hepolitical ournalist,

ointerviewvarious

countryseats.B ut

consequent that it

ry.It simplyslipped

inlaterandutterly

evenrecoverthe

fterwarddiscovered

n thefieldsand

nof theriver;along



e#pd-us-google


127/381

man

tawnybrickalmost

ehadshippedhis

moment withthe

sheadand sawthat

rickwall wasbroken

gant eighteenth-century

olumnsofwhitestone

enfloodsand the

withdwarfishtrees

anarrowarcof

erthecurveofthe

erthedarkarch-

omingtowardhim,

yashimself.His

beingseenofhim,but as

toodupinthe boat and

dysocloseto the

hiswholefigurewas

light,andMarchcould

c ept theendof two

esthat gavesomething

kehorns inthewrong

sMarchwouldnever

happenedinthesame

nderthe lowbridge

hung,withhislegs

oat awayfromunder

aryvisionoftwo

oneblackkickingleg;



e#pd-us-google


128/381

Much

ept theeddyingstream

fthewall. B ut when-

,longafterward,when

whichit figured,it

t onefantastic shape

grotesquegraven

lf,in themannerofa

hemerelypassed,star-

ouldseeno flying

must havealreadyfled;

ofsomefaint signifi-

ongthetreesroundthe

allhesawa lamp-post;

,thebroadbluebackof

n.

eshrineofhis political

herthingsto thinkof

ofthebridge;forthe

asolitary manwasnot

asolitarystream.And

foreseenaccident that

adbeenpurchased

onplannedinc on unc tion

e last moment been

ngements.Harold

dwithhis friend

andvoyagetoWil-

rimeMinisterwasa

reandmorepeople

rch,forhis striking



e#pd-us-google


129/381

man

ningtohimthedoors

but hehadnever

Scarcelyanybody

hadeverheardof

dknownthePrime

hesereasons, had

c ted ourneytogether,

ghtlydisposedto

uelycontent tolengthen

oneof thosepeoplewho

eMinister.The

venoverye hilarant

some resemblanceto

wasdistinctlyannoyed

sdoinga littlelight pack-

arsfor the ourney,

odaskinghimtocome

thePrimeMinister

isherknewthat his

uldnot possiblystart till

kedhisf riend

gk chesterton - man who knew too much, the

Documents