The Shadow passed away.
In another moment a crushing blow from a life-preserver, delivered by a
vigorous arm, would have fallen upon the back of Chester's skull, and
sent him headlong down the flight of stairs; but the deadly weapon was
thrust back into its owner's breast, and the fierce, vindictive
expression passed from his face as there was a violent ringing of the
largest of the row of bells hanging to their right, and Chester turned
sharply round, taper in hand, to look questioningly at the old man.
"Dear me!" he said, smiling, "how tiresome! This is one of the troubles
of living quite alone, my dear young friend. I always have to answer my
own door. I'm afraid that I must ask you to come back to the front
room. Would you mind bringing the light? Thank you; I will take it."
He blew out the clear little flame as they reached the glass door, and
then set down the basket, before leading the way back into the library,
where he glanced from the window.
"Dear me!" he said. "More books. So very late in the day too. They
always come at awkward times. Pray sit down or look at some of my
works. You'll find something to interest you, I feel sure. Yes--yes;
I'm coming," he said, as the bell rang loudly again. "Don't be so
impatient, my good men, don't be so impatient."
"One moment; if you have business, I will go now," said Chester.
"Oh, by no means," said the old man. "I shall not be many moments.
Pray take a book and my chair, there. It is only the railway men. I
shall soon be done."
Chester did not take the chair, but began to inspect the dusty shelves,
while he heard the front door open and after a time the sound of heavy
feet upon the steps, and then the bump down of what sounded like a heavy
chest. Then more steps outside, the rattle of a chain belonging to the
tail-board of a van, and the steps again.
Then he ceased to hear anything that was going on, for his thoughts had
run to the adjoining house and his experiences there, but only to be
succeeded by an indescribable sensation of dread--a singular feeling of
malaise which troubled his faculties. It was like a portent of
something hanging over him, or over her who occupied so much of his
thoughts.
"I can't stay here," he said to himself. "I must get out into the open
air. This place makes me feel sick and faint."
He picked up one of the many books lying about, and threw it down again
impatiently, to walk to the door, where he could hear the old student
directing the men who had brought the consignment; while from the sounds
it was evident that they were carrying the chests or whatever they were,
down into the basement.
Feeling that it would be rude to interrupt his host then, he went back
to the table.
"What is the matter with me?" he muttered, as he shivered involuntarily.
"Is it from cold, or from over-thought and worry? Not going to be ill,
am I, and at such a time?"
"I know," he thought, at the end of a few minutes; "it is this place.
The air is close and mephitic. I don't believe the windows are ever
open. I cannot stay here. I feel as if I should faint. Rude or not, I
must go."
He had sunk into a chair, and now started up, just as the old man
re-entered.
"Just done," he said cheerfully. "One moment. Heavy boxes, and these
men like to have a glass. Not my old port, though. They would not
appreciate it. A little of this--a little of this brandy."
He kept on talking softly as he took out a bottle and glasses from a
cellarette, filled a couple, set the bottle down again, and carried the
glasses out; and as the door swung to, Chester caught up the bottle
quickly, held it to his lips, and gulped down a mouthful.
"Hah!" he muttered, as he set the brandy down and sank back in the
chair; "that is stimulating. But how strange that I should feel like
this. Ugh!"
He shuddered, for a cold chill ran through him, and the sensation of
fear increased.
"Can it be something threatening her?" he muttered. "How strange! I
have not felt like this since I lost my first patient," and the chill of
coming dissolution seemed to hang in the air.
"Pooh! Fancy. It is a slight chill. That brandy will soon take it
off."
The voices reached him again, and the steps were heard outside; then the
front door was closed, and the old man came in smiling.
"Always at such inconvenient times," he said. "Generally when I am
studying some intricate passage by an old author; but to-day when I have
had my first visitor for months. I'm afraid you have found me very
long."
"Oh no, don't name it," said Chester, hurriedly, "but--"
"Ah! your kindness of heart makes you speak thus," said the old man,
hastily. "Two heavy chests of books, and I was obliged to make the men
take them downstairs, or they would block the passage. But now for the
glass of wine and our chat."
"I'm afraid that I shall be obliged to ask you to excuse me to-day,"
said Chester, who had risen.
"Oh, surely not," cried the old man in a disappointed tone. "I was
reckoning so upon asking your opinion, my dear sir. Like liquid rubies.
It will not take long."
"No, it would not take long," replied Chester, who now spoke rather
excitedly, while the old man's eyes glittered strangely behind his
glasses; "but I have been here some time now, and I must get back."
"But, my dear sir--"
"Don't press me, please. I, am rather unwell."
"You are not offended at my leaving you?"
"No, absurd!" cried Chester, hastily. "I have had a good deal of
trouble lately, and my nerves have been shaken."
"Your nerves have been shaken?" said the old man, gazing at him in a
peculiar way.
"Yes," said Chester; "but another day you must let me come; and perhaps
you can tell me a little more about your neighbours."
The old man smiled sadly.
"Ah!" he said, "I am growing old and garrulous, and I have bored you, as
you young people call it. You will not come again."
"Indeed, I will," cried Chester, holding out his hand to take his
host's, which was extended unwillingly, and felt like ice. "Oh yes, I
will come to-morrow or the next day. This is no paltry excuse. You may
trust me."
"Ah, well, I will," said the old man, who seemed to be satisfied with
his scrutiny. "Pray come, then, and put up with my strange, unworldly
ways; and you must give me some more hints about my health. In the
meantime I will look out some of the old medical and surgical works.
You will find them interesting."
"Yes, I hope we shall spend many hours together," said Chester, frankly,
as he moved toward the door, the old man walking by his side with his
hands under the tails of his coat, where a looker-on would have seen
that they were crooked and opening and shutting spasmodically.
It was very dim now in the book-burdened room, the evening light having
hard work to pierce the uncleaned panes of the windows; but there was
light enough to show that, and also that the old bookworm's claw-like
right hand went into the coat-pocket and half drew from it something
small and hard.
But nothing followed as they walked into the gloomy hall and away to the
front door, where, after a friendly shake of the hand, Chester uttered a
sigh of relief as he turned away from the house, seeming to breathe more
freely as he walked briskly along.
"Pah! the old place felt like a sepulchre," he muttered. "It was just
as if the hand of death were clutching at me. I believe that if I had
not taken that brandy I should have fainted. What a state my nerves
must be in. Why, it is the most fortunate thing that could have
happened. Once gain the old man's confidence, I can stay there and
watch the next house as long as I like."
There was something ominous about the old bookworm's act as he went
softly back into his half-dark, dusty room, evidently thinking deeply,
till he stopped short in the middle to stand gazing down at the floor.
"Yes, he said he was ill; he looked ill when he came up to the door--
half mad. He will come back again, perhaps to-morrow--perhaps
to-morrow. Hah! it was very near."
He raised his head now, went to the drawer from which he had taken the
key, and placed back in it the heavy life-preserver, and then taking
from the tail of the coat one of the short, old-fashioned pocket pistols
which were loaded by unscrewing the little barrel by means of a key.
This he examined, taking off the cap, after raising the hammer and
putting a fresh one in its place. After this he closed the drawer and
sat down to think.
"Yes," he said, half aloud, "it was very near. The next time he comes
perhaps he'll stay. He is getting to be a nuisance, and a dangerous
one, as well."