bed. Bound them" —he shuddered violently—" until I could see the cords cutting into the tender flesh, and her delicate limbs swelling under the torture, and I stood beside her and laughed in glee while she moaned, ' Have makee break! True, have makee break!'"
His head sank on his arms and he groaned again in anguish of remorse. I rose to my feet in sudden heat and strode to his side, shaking him roughly by the collar.
"Fergusson!" I cried fiercely, "is this true? Answer me, man! Is this true ? "
" As true," he replied miserably, " as that I look forward to burning in hell for it! "
"You cur!" I cried, flinging him from me, for I knew the depth of the girl's devotion to him.
He did not resent it nor attempt to excuse himself, only looked up at me with a bitter laugh —a laugh that reminded me of the savage snarl of a wounded hyena—and I shuddered involuntarily.
" Listen, Ward, for there is more to come! "
I took two or three hasty turns to and fro, then sat down opposite to him again. He went on with feverish haste, eager to get it over.
" I left her there, Ward ! Left her in torture ! " His voice rose almost to a wail. " Left her, and went back into the other room. A gust of wind from the open window had blown the lamp out and the room was in darkness, and as I stood there gloating like a fiend over the moans that came from the bed in the other room something swept up against the closed window; a moment later it had returned and fluttered in through the open one."
He stopped suddenly, and a violent trembling shook his frame.
" Ward, it was the ' Thing'! "
" What the "
" Yes! " he cried eagerly, " the vampire! "
I felt in no mood to laugh at his absurd fancy now. I felt too shocked at the cruel treatment he had meted out to May.
" It came into the room, Ward, and flapped in ever lessening circles round my head. I struck out wildly at It, for I was intoxicated and did not fear It at the time. But It took no notice of my vicious lunges; It sailed three times round my head, then as I thought flapped its way out again through the open window. I looked at my watch; it was exactly one o'clock.
" Firm set on getting more drink, I left the house again, leaving May to her agony, and made my way back to the club. It was closed, but I made the boy give me a full bottle of whisky, saying I wanted a peg, and brought it away with me.
" I must have drunk half of it before I got back to the house, and when I went in I found the groans had ceased. I went to May's bedside "
The curtains at the window stirred slightly, and he broke off suddenly with a great start, terror writ large in his face.
" Ward!" he cried, with livid lips, " It is coming! The 'Thing!'"
" Nonsense! " I said. " That was a puff of wind."
The man was utterly unnerved. I had to pacify him as one soothes a little child.
" Go on with your vile story!" I told him at last.
" I went to May's side, and there, Ward, was the ' Thing' on her face. It had Its head just under her ear, with its great wings slowly fanning. Ward! " he almost shrieked, " It was sucking her life's blood! Do you hear me? Sucking her blood! She had swooned with the pain of the cords and the horror of this ' Thing," and I—I stood there, made fearless with drink, laughing in devilish joy at the sight I saw. How long I stayed I do not know, but at last I sank down in stupor beside the bed. I knew nothing more until this morning."
" And then ?" I asked. I was getting interested in this curious mental aberration of Fergusson's.
" Then, when I arose," he broke out in sudden fury," she was dead! Dead, Ward ! Dead! dead! dead!"
Suddenly he grew deadly calm, going on with the quietness of a surgeon diagnosing a case.
" There was a tiny puncture under her ear, just on the jugular vein, with a little globule of blood no bigger than a bead exuding from it; but the pillow was bathed in blood, soaked through and through."
Matters were looking black indeed, for I had no doubt at the time
His head sank on his arms and he groaned again in anguish of remorse. I rose to my feet in sudden heat and strode to his side, shaking him roughly by the collar.
"Fergusson!" I cried fiercely, "is this true? Answer me, man! Is this true ? "
" As true," he replied miserably, " as that I look forward to burning in hell for it! "
"You cur!" I cried, flinging him from me, for I knew the depth of the girl's devotion to him.
He did not resent it nor attempt to excuse himself, only looked up at me with a bitter laugh —a laugh that reminded me of the savage snarl of a wounded hyena—and I shuddered involuntarily.
" Listen, Ward, for there is more to come! "
I took two or three hasty turns to and fro, then sat down opposite to him again. He went on with feverish haste, eager to get it over.
" I left her there, Ward ! Left her in torture ! " His voice rose almost to a wail. " Left her, and went back into the other room. A gust of wind from the open window had blown the lamp out and the room was in darkness, and as I stood there gloating like a fiend over the moans that came from the bed in the other room something swept up against the closed window; a moment later it had returned and fluttered in through the open one."
He stopped suddenly, and a violent trembling shook his frame.
" Ward, it was the ' Thing'! "
" What the "
" Yes! " he cried eagerly, " the vampire! "
I felt in no mood to laugh at his absurd fancy now. I felt too shocked at the cruel treatment he had meted out to May.
" It came into the room, Ward, and flapped in ever lessening circles round my head. I struck out wildly at It, for I was intoxicated and did not fear It at the time. But It took no notice of my vicious lunges; It sailed three times round my head, then as I thought flapped its way out again through the open window. I looked at my watch; it was exactly one o'clock.
" Firm set on getting more drink, I left the house again, leaving May to her agony, and made my way back to the club. It was closed, but I made the boy give me a full bottle of whisky, saying I wanted a peg, and brought it away with me.
" I must have drunk half of it before I got back to the house, and when I went in I found the groans had ceased. I went to May's bedside "
The curtains at the window stirred slightly, and he broke off suddenly with a great start, terror writ large in his face.
" Ward!" he cried, with livid lips, " It is coming! The 'Thing!'"
" Nonsense! " I said. " That was a puff of wind."
The man was utterly unnerved. I had to pacify him as one soothes a little child.
" Go on with your vile story!" I told him at last.
" I went to May's side, and there, Ward, was the ' Thing' on her face. It had Its head just under her ear, with its great wings slowly fanning. Ward! " he almost shrieked, " It was sucking her life's blood! Do you hear me? Sucking her blood! She had swooned with the pain of the cords and the horror of this ' Thing," and I—I stood there, made fearless with drink, laughing in devilish joy at the sight I saw. How long I stayed I do not know, but at last I sank down in stupor beside the bed. I knew nothing more until this morning."
" And then ?" I asked. I was getting interested in this curious mental aberration of Fergusson's.
" Then, when I arose," he broke out in sudden fury," she was dead! Dead, Ward ! Dead! dead! dead!"
Suddenly he grew deadly calm, going on with the quietness of a surgeon diagnosing a case.
" There was a tiny puncture under her ear, just on the jugular vein, with a little globule of blood no bigger than a bead exuding from it; but the pillow was bathed in blood, soaked through and through."
Matters were looking black indeed, for I had no doubt at the time
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