第4章

Presently，however，heheardalighttapathisdoor，thenthedooropenedslowly，andhecouldseetheflashofLadyArabella’swhitedressthroughtheopening。

CHAPTERXVI——AVISITOFSYMPATHY

CaswallwasgenuinelysurprisedwhenhesawLadyArabella，thoughheneednothavebeen，afterwhathadalreadyoccurredinthesameway。

ThelookofsurpriseonhisfacewassomuchgreaterthanLadyArabellahadexpected——thoughshethoughtshewaspreparedtomeetanythingthatmightoccur——thatshestoodstill，insheeramazement。

Cold—bloodedasshewasandreadyforallsocialemergencies，shewasnonplussedhowtogoon。Shewasplucky，however，andbegantospeakatonce，althoughshehadnottheslightestideawhatshewasgoingtosay。

"Icametoofferyoumyverywarmsympathywiththegriefyouhavesolatelyexperienced。"

"Mygrief？I’mafraidImustbeverydull;butIreallydonotunderstand。"

Alreadyshefeltatadisadvantage，andhesitated。

"Imeanabouttheoldmanwhodiedsosuddenly——yourold……

retainer。"

Caswall’sfacerelaxedsomethingofitspuzzledconcentration。

"Oh，hewasonlyaservant;andhehadover—stayedhisthree—scoreandtenyearsbysomethingliketwentyyears。Hemusthavebeenninety！"

"Still，asanoldservant……"

Caswall’swordswerenotsocoldastheirinflection。

"Ineverinterferewithservants。Hewaskeptonheremerelybecausehehadbeensolongonthepremises。Isupposethestewardthoughtitmightmakehimunpopulariftheoldfellowhadbeendismissed。"

Howonearthwasshetoproceedonsuchataskashersifthiswastheutmostgenialityshecouldexpect？Sosheatoncetriedanothertack——thistimeapersonalone。

"IamsorryIdisturbedyou。Iamreallynotunconventional——thoughcertainlynoslavetoconvention。Stilltherearelimits……itisbadenoughtointrudeinthisway，andIdonotknowwhatyoucansayorthinkofthetimeselected，fortheintrusion。"

Afterall，EdgarCaswallwasagentlemanbycustomandhabit，soherosetotheoccasion。

"Icanonlysay，LadyArabella，thatyouarealwayswelcomeatanytimeyoumaydeigntohonourmyhousewithyourpresence。"

Shesmiledathimsweetly。

"ThankyouSOmuch。YouDOputoneatease。Mybreachofconventionmakesmegladratherthansorry。IfeelthatIcanopenmyhearttoyouaboutanything。"

ForthwithsheproceededtotellhimaboutOolangaandhisstrangesuspicionsofherhonesty。Caswalllaughedandmadeherexplainallthedetails。Hisfinalcommentwasenlightening。

"Letmegiveyouawordofadvice：Ifyouhavetheslightestfaulttofindwiththatinfernalnigger，shoothimatsight。Aswelled—

headednigger，withabeeinhisbonnet，isoneoftheworstdifficultiesintheworldtodealwith。Sobettermakeacleanjobofit，andwipehimoutatonce！"

"Butwhataboutthelaw，Mr。Caswall？"

"Oh，thelawdoesn’tconcernitselfmuchaboutdeadniggers。Afewmoreorlessdonotmatter。Tomymindit’sratherarelief！"

"I’mafraidofyou，"washeronlycomment，madewithasweetsmileandinasoftvoice。

"Allright，"hesaid，"letusleaveitatthat。Anyhow，weshallberidofoneofthem！"

"Idon’tloveniggersanymorethanyoudo，"shereplied，"andI

supposeonemustn’tbetooparticularwherethatsortofcleaningupisconcerned。"Thenshechangedinvoiceandmanner，andaskedgenially："Andnowtellme，amIforgiven？"

"Youare，dearlady——ifthereisanythingtoforgive。"

Ashespoke，seeingthatshehadmovedtogo，hecametothedoorwithher，andinthemostnaturalwayaccompaniedherdownstairs。

Hepassedthroughthehallwithheranddowntheavenue。Ashewentbacktothehouse，shesmiledtoherself。

"Well，thatisallright。Idon’tthinkthemorninghasbeenaltogetherthrownaway。"

AndshewalkedslowlybacktoDiana’sGrove。

AdamSaltonfollowedthelineoftheBrow，andrefreshedhismemoryastothevariouslocalities。HegothometoLesserHilljustasSirNathanielwasbeginninglunch。Mr。SaltonhadgonetoWalsalltokeepanearlyappointment;sohewasallalone。Whenthemealwasover——seeinginAdam’sfacethathehadsomethingtospeakabout——hefollowedintothestudyandshutthedoor。

Whenthetwomenhadlightedtheirpipes，SirNathanielbegan。

"IhaverememberedaninterestingfactaboutDiana’sGrove——thereis，Ihavelongunderstood，somestrangemysteryaboutthathouse。

Itmaybeofsomeinterest，oritmaybetrivial，insuchatangledskeinaswearetryingtounravel。"

"Pleasetellmeallyouknow’orsuspect。Tobegin，then，ofwhatsortisthemystery——physical，mental，moral，historical，scientific，occult？Anykindofhintwillhelpme。"

"Quiteright。IshalltrytotellyouwhatIthink;butIhavenotputmythoughtsonthesubjectinsequence，soyoumustforgivemeifdueorderisnotobservedinmynarration。IsupposeyouhaveseenthehouseatDiana’sGrove？"

"Theoutsideofit;butIhavethatinmymind’seye，andIcanfitintomymemorywhateveryoumaymention。"

"Thehouseisveryold——probablythefirsthouseofsomesortthatstoodtherewasinthetimeoftheRomans。Thiswasprobablyrenewed——perhapsseveraltimesatlaterperiods。Thehousestands，or，rather，usedtostandherewhenMerciawasakingdom——IdonotsupposethatthebasementcanbelaterthantheNormanConquest。

Someyearsago，whenIwasPresidentoftheMercianArchaeologicalSociety，Iwentalloveritverycarefully。ThiswaswhenitwaspurchasedbyCaptainMarch。Thehousehadthenbeendoneup，soastobesuitableforthebride。Thebasementisverystrong，——almostasstrongandasheavyasifithadbeenintendedasafortress。

Thereareawholeseriesofroomsdeepunderground。Oneoftheminparticularstruckme。Theroomitselfisofconsiderablesize，butthemasonryismorethanmassive。Inthemiddleoftheroomisasunkwell，builtuptofloorlevelandevidentlygoingdeepunderground。Thereisnowindlassnoranytraceofthereeverhavingbeenany——norope——nothing。Now，weknowthattheRomanshadwellsofimmensedepth，fromwhichthewaterwasliftedbythe’oldragrope’;thatatWoodhullusedtobenearlyathousandfeet。

Here，then，wehavesimplyanenormouslydeepwell—hole。Thedooroftheroomwasmassive，andwasfastenedwithalocknearlyafootsquare。Itwasevidentlyintendedforsomekindofprotectiontosomeoneorsomething;butnooneinthosedayshadeverheardofanyonehavingbeenallowedeventoseetheroom。AllthisisE

PROPOSofasuggestiononmypartthatthewell—holewasawaybywhichtheWhiteWorm（whateveritwas）wentandcame。AtthattimeIwouldhavehadasearchmade——evenexcavationifnecessary——atmyownexpense，butallsuggestionsweremetwithapromptandexplicitnegative。So，ofcourse，Itooknofurtherstepinthematter。

Thenitdiedoutofrecollection——evenofmine。"

"Doyouremember，sir，"askedAdam，"whatwastheappearanceoftheroomwherethewell—holewas？Wastherefurniture——infact，anysortofthingintheroom？"

"TheonlythingIrememberwasasortofgreenlight——veryclouded，verydim——whichcameupfromthewell。Notafixedlight，butintermittentandirregular——quiteunlikeanythingIhadeverseen。"

"Doyourememberhowyougotintothewell—room？Wasthereaseparatedoorfromoutside，orwasthereanyinteriorroomorpassagewhichopenedintoit？"

"Ithinktheremusthavebeensomeroomwithawayintoit。I

remembergoingupsomesteepsteps;theymusthavebeenwornsmoothbylonguseorsomethingofthekind，forIcouldhardlykeepmyfeetasIwentup。OnceIstumbledandnearlyfellintothewell—

hole。"

"Wasthereanythingstrangeabouttheplace——anyqueersmell，forinstance？"

"Queersmell——yes！Likebilgeorarankswamp。Itwasdistinctlynauseating;whenIcameoutIfeltasifIhadjustbeengoingtobesick。IshalltrybackonmyvisitandseeifIcanrecallanymoreofwhatIsaworfelt。"

"Thenperhaps，sir，laterinthedayyouwilltellmeanythingyoumaychancetorecollect。"

"Ishallbedelighted，Adam。Ifyourunclehasnotreturnedbythen，I’lljoinyouinthestudyafterdinner，andwecanresumethisinterestingchat。"

CHAPTERXVII——THEMYSTERYOF"THEGROVE"

ThatafternoonAdamdecidedtodoalittleexploring。AshepassedthroughthewoodoutsidethegateofDiana’sGrove，hethoughthesawtheAfrican’sfaceforaninstant。Sohewentdeeperintotheundergrowth，andfollowedalongparalleltotheavenuetothehouse。

Hewasgladthattherewasnoworkmanorservantabout，forhedidnotcarethatanyofLadyArabella’speopleshouldfindhimwanderingabouthergrounds。Takingadvantageofthedensenessofthetrees，hecameclosetothehouseandskirtedroundit。Hewasrepaidforhistrouble，foronthefarsideofthehouse，closetowheretherockyfrontageoftheclifffellaway，hesawOolangacrouchedbehindtheirregulartrunkofagreatoak。Themanwassointentonwatchingsomeone，orsomething，thathedidnotguardagainstbeinghimselfwatched。ThissuitedAdam，forhecouldthusmakescrutinyatwill。

Thethickwood，thoughthetreesweremostlyofsmallgirth，threwaheavyshadow，sothatthesteepdeclension，infrontofwhichgrewthetreebehindwhichtheAfricanlurked，wasalmostindarkness。

Adamdrewascloseashecould，andwasamazedtoseeapatchoflightonthegroundbeforehim;whenherealisedwhatitwas，hewasdetermined，morethanevertofollowonhisquest。Theniggerhadadarklanterninhishand，andwasthrowingthelightdownthesteepincline。Theglareshowedaseriesofstonesteps，whichendedinalow—lyingheavyirondoorfixedagainstthesideofthehouse。AllthestrangethingshehadheardfromSirNathaniel，andallthose，littleandbig，whichhehadhimselfnoticed，crowdedintohismindinachaoticway。Instinctivelyhetookrefugebehindathickoakstem，andsethimselfdown，towatchwhatmightoccur。

AfterashorttimeitbecameapparentthattheAfricanwastryingtofindoutwhatwasbehindtheheavydoor。Therewasnowayoflookingin，forthedoorfittedtightintothemassivestoneslabs。

Theonlyopportunityfortheentranceoflightwasthroughasmallholebetweenthegreatstonesabovethedoor。Thisholewastoohighuptolookthroughfromthegroundlevel。Oolanga，havingtriedstandingtiptoeonthehighestpointnear，andholdingthelanternashighashecould，threwthelightroundtheedgesofthedoortoseeifhecouldfindanywhereaholeoraflawinthemetalthroughwhichhecouldobtainaglimpse。Foiledinthis，hebroughtfromtheshrubberyaplank，whichheleantagainstthetopofthedoorandthenclimbedupwithgreatdexterity。Thisdidnotbringhimnearenoughtothewindow—holetolookin，oreventothrowthelightofthelanternthroughit，soheclimbeddownandcarriedtheplankbacktotheplacefromwhichhehadgotit。Thenheconcealedhimselfneartheirondoorandwaited，manifestlywiththeintentofremainingtheretillsomeonecamenear。PresentlyLadyArabella，movingnoiselesslythroughtheshade，approachedthedoor。Whenhesawhercloseenoughtotouchit，Oolangasteppedforwardfromhisconcealment，andspokeinawhisper，whichthroughthegloomsoundedlikeahiss。

"Iwanttoseeyou，missy——soonandsecret。"

"Whatdoyouwant？"

"Youknowwell，missy;Itoldyoualready。"

Sheturnedonhimwithblazingeyes，thegreentintinthemglowinglikeemeralds。

"Come，noneofthat。Ifthereisanythingsensiblewhichyouwishtosaytome，youcanseemehere，justwhereweare，atseveno’clock。"

Hemadenoreplyinwords，but，puttingthebacksofhishandstogether，bentlowerandlowertillhisforeheadtouchedtheearth。

Thenheroseandwentslowlyaway。

AdamSalton，fromhishiding—place，sawandwondered。InafewminuteshemovedfromhisplaceandwenthometoLesserHill，fullydeterminedthatseveno’clockwouldfindhiminsomehiddenplacebehindDiana’sGrove。

AtalittlebeforesevenAdamstolesoftlyoutofthehouseandtooktheback—waytotherearofDiana’sGrove。Theplaceseemedsilentanddeserted，sohetooktheopportunityofconcealinghimselfnearthespotwhencehehadseenOolangatryingtoinvestigatewhateverwasconcealedbehindtheirondoor。Hewaited，perfectlystill，andatlastsawagleamofwhitepassingsoundlesslythroughtheundergrowth。HewasnotsurprisedwhenherecognisedthecolourofLadyArabella’sdress。Shecamecloseandwaited，withherfacetotheirondoor。FromsomeplaceofconcealmentnearathandOolangaappeared，andcameclosetoher。Adamnoticed，withsurprisedamusement，thatoverhisshoulderwastheboxwiththemongoose。OfcoursetheAfricandidnotknowthathewasseenbyanyone，leastofallbythemanwhosepropertyhehadwithhim。

Silent—footedashewas，LadyArabellaheardhimcoming，andturnedtomeethim。Itwassomewhathardtoseeinthegloom，for，asusual，hewasallinblack，onlyhiscollarandcuffsshowingwhite。

LadyArabellaopenedtheconversationwhichensuedbetweenthetwo。

"Whatdoyouwant？Torobme，ormurderme？"

"No，tolubyou！"

Thisfrightenedheralittle，andshetriedtochangethetone。

"Isthatacoffinyouhavewithyou？Ifso，youarewastingyourtime。Itwouldnotholdme。"

Whenaniggersuspectsheisbeinglaughedat，alltheferocityofhisnaturecomestothefront;andthismanwasofthelowestkind。

"Disain’tnocoffinfornobody。Disboxisforyou。Somefinyoulub。Megivehimtoyou！"

Stillanxioustokeepoffthesubjectofaffection，onwhichshebelievedhimtohavebecomecrazed，shemadeanotherefforttokeephismindelsewhere。

"Isthiswhyyouwanttoseeme？"Henodded。"Thencomeroundtotheotherdoor。Butbequiet。Ihavenodesiretobeseensoclosetomyownhouseinconversationwitha——a——aniggerlikeyou！"

Shehadchosentheworddeliberately。Shewishedtomeethispassionwithanotherkind。Suchwould，atallevents，helptokeephimquiet。Inthedeepgloomshecouldnotseetheangerwhichsuffusedhisface。Rollingeyeballsandgrindingteethare，however，sufficientsignsofangertobedecipherableinthedark。

Shemovedroundthecornerofthehousetoherright。Oolangawasfollowingher，whenshestoppedhimbyraisingherhand。

"No，notthatdoor，"shesaid;"thatisnotforniggers。Theotherdoorwilldowellenoughforyou！"

LadyArabellatookinherhandasmallkeywhichhungattheendofherwatch—chain，andmovedtoasmalldoor，lowdown，roundthecorner，andalittledownhillfromtheedgeoftheBrow。Oolanga，inobediencetohergesture，wentbacktotheirondoor。AdamlookedcarefullyatthemongooseboxastheAfricanwentby，andwasgladtoseethatitwasintact。Unconsciously，ashelooked，hefingeredthekeythatwasinhiswaistcoatpocket。WhenOolangawasoutofsight，AdamhurriedafterLadyArabella。

CHAPTERXVIII——EXITOOLANGA

ThewomanturnedsharplyasAdamtouchedhershoulder。

"Onemomentwhilstwearealone。Youhadbetternottrustthatnigger！"hewhispered。

Heranswerwascrispandconcise：

"Idon’t。"

"Forewarnedisforearmed。Tellmeifyouwill——itisforyourownprotection。Whydoyoumistrusthim？"

"Myfriend，youhavenoideaofthatman’simpudence。Wouldyoubelievethathewantsmetomarryhim？"

"No！"saidAdamincredulously，amusedinspiteofhimself。

"Yes，andwantedtobribemetodoitbysharingachestoftreasure——atleast，hethoughtitwas——stolenfromMr。Caswall。Whydoyoudistrusthim，Mr。Salton？"

"Didyounoticethatboxhehadslungonhisshoulder？Thatbelongstome。Ileftitinthegun—roomwhenIwenttolunch。Hemusthavecreptinandstolenit。Doubtlesshethinksthatit，too，isfulloftreasure。"

"Hedoes！"

"Howonearthdoyouknow？"askedAdam。

"Alittlewhileagoheofferedtogiveittome——anotherbribetoaccepthim。Faugh！Iamashamedtotellyousuchathing。Thebeast！"

Whilsttheyhadbeenspeaking，shehadopenedthedoor，anarrowironone，wellhung，foritopenedeasilyandclosedtightlywithoutanycreakingorsoundofanykind。Withinallwasdark;butsheenteredasfreelyandwithaslittlemisgivingorrestraintasifithadbeenbroaddaylight。ForAdam，therewasjustsufficientgreenlightfromsomewhereforhimtoseethattherewasabroadflightofheavystonestepsleadingupward;butLadyArabella，aftershuttingthedoorbehindher，whenitclosedtightlywithoutaclang，trippedupthestepslightlyandswiftly。Foraninstantallwasdark，buttherecameagainthefaintgreenlightwhichenabledhimtoseetheoutlinesofthings。Anotherirondoor，narrowlikethefirstandfairlyhigh，ledintoanotherlargeroom，thewallsofwhichwereofmassivestones，socloselyjoinedtogetherastoexhibitonlyonesmoothsurface。Thispresentedtheappearanceofhavingatonetimebeenpolished。Onthefarside，alsosmoothlikethewalls，wasthereverseofawide，butnothigh，irondoor。Heretherewasalittlemorelight，forthehigh—upapertureoverthedooropenedtotheair。

LadyArabellatookfromhergirdleanothersmallkey，whichsheinsertedinakeyholeinthecentreofamassivelock。Thegreatboltseemedwonderfullyhung，forthemomentthesmallkeywasturned，theboltsofthegreatlockmovednoiselesslyandtheirondoorsswungopen。OnthestonestepsoutsidestoodOolanga，withthemongooseboxslungoverhisshoulder。LadyArabellastoodalittleononeside，andtheAfrican，acceptingthemovementasaninvitation，enteredinanobsequiousway。Themoment，however，thathewasinside，hegaveaquicklookaroundhim。

"Muchdeathhere——bigdeath。Manydeaths。Good，good！"

Hesniffedroundasifhewasenjoyingthescent。ThematterandmannerofhisspeechweresorevoltingthatinstinctivelyAdam’shandwanderedtohisrevolver，and，withhisfingeronthetrigger，herestedsatisfiedthathewasreadyforanyemergency。

Therewascertainlyopportunityforthenigger’senjoyment，fortheopenwell—holewasalmostunderhisnose，sendingupsuchastenchasalmostmadeAdamsick，thoughLadyArabellaseemednottominditatall。ItwaslikenothingthatAdamhadevermetwith。Hecompareditwithallthenoxiousexperienceshehadeverhad——thedrainageofwarhospitals，ofslaughter—houses，therefuseofdissectingrooms。Noneofthesewaslikeit，thoughithadsomethingofthemall，with，added，thesournessofchemicalwasteandthepoisonouseffluviumofthebilgeofawater—loggedshipwhereonamultitudeofratshadbeendrowned。

Then，quiteunexpectedly，thenegronoticedthepresenceofathirdperson——AdamSalton！Hepulledoutapistolandshotathim，happilymissing。Adamwashimselfusuallyaquickshot，butthistimehismindhadbeenonsomethingelseandhewasnotready。

However，hewasquicktocarryoutanintention，andhewasnotacoward。Inanothermomentbothmenwereingrips。Besidethemwasthedarkwell—hole，withthathorrideffluviumstealingupfromitsmysteriousdepths。

AdamandOolangabothhadpistols;LadyArabella，whohadnotone，wasprobablythemostreadyofthemallinthetheoryofshooting，butthatbeingimpossible，shemadehereffortinanotherway。

Glidingforward，shetriedtoseizetheAfrican;butheeludedhergrasp，justmissing，indoingso，fallingintothemysterioushole。

Asheswayedbacktofirmfoothold，heturnedhisowngunonherandshot。InstinctivelyAdamleapedathisassailant;clutchingateachother，theytotteredontheverybrink。

LadyArabella’sanger，nowfullyawake，wasallforOolanga。Shemovedtowardshimwithherhandsextended，andhadjustseizedhimwhenthecatchofthelockedbox——duetosomemovementfromwithin——

flewopen，andtheking—cobra—killerflewatherwithavenomousfuryimpossibletodescribe。Asitseizedherthroat，shecaughtholdofit，and，withafurysuperiortoitsown，toreitintwojustasifithadbeenasheetofpaper。Thestrengthusedforsuchanactmusthavebeenterrific。Inaninstant，itseemedtospoutbloodandentrails，andwashurledintothewell—hole。InanotherinstantshehadseizedOolanga，andwithaswiftrushhaddrawnhim，herwhitearmsencirclinghim，downwithherintothegapingaperture。

Adamsawamedleyofgreenandredlightsblazeinawhirlingcircle，andasitsankdownintothewell，apairofblazinggreeneyesbecamefixed，sanklowerandlowerwithfrightfulrapidity，anddisappeared，throwingupwardthegreenlightwhichgrewmoreandmorevivideverymoment。Asthelightsankintothenoisomedepths，therecameashriekwhichchilledAdam’sblood——aprolongedagonyofpainandterrorwhichseemedtohavenoend。

AdamSaltonfeltthathewouldneverbeabletofreehismindfromthememoryofthosedreadfulmoments。Thegloomwhichsurroundedthathorriblecharnelpit，whichseemedtogodowntotheverybowelsoftheearth，conveyedfromfardownthesightsandsoundsofthenethermosthell。TheghastlyfateoftheAfricanashesankdowntohisterribledoom，hisblackfacegrowinggreywithterror，hiswhiteeyeballs，nowlikeveinedbloodstone，rollinginthehelplessextremityoffear。Themysteriousgreenlightwasinitselfamilieuofhorror。Andthroughitalltheawfulcrycameupfromthatfathomlesspit，whoseentrancewasfloodedwithspotsoffreshblood。Eventhedeathofthefearlesslittlesnake—killer——sofierce，sofrightful，asifstainedwithaferocitywhichtoldofnolivingforceaboveearth，butonlyofthedevilsofthepit——wasonlyanincident。Adamwasinastateofintellectualtumult，whichhadnoparallelinhisexperience。Hetriedtorushawayfromthehorribleplace;eventhebalefulgreenlight，thrownupthroughthegloomywell—shaft，wasdyingawayasitssourcesankdeeperintotheprimevalooze。Thedarknesswasclosinginonhiminoverwhelmingdensity——darknessinsuchaplaceandwithsuchamemoryofit！

Hemadeawildrushforward——sliptonthestepsinsomesticky，acrid—smellingmassthatfeltandsmeltlikeblood，and，fallingforward，felthiswayintotheinnerroom，wherethewell—shaftwasnot。

Thenherubbedhiseyesinsheeramazement。Upthestonestepsfromthenarrowdoorbywhichhehadentered，glidedthewhite—cladfigureofLadyArabella，theonlycolourtobeseenonherbeingblood—marksonherfaceandhandsandthroat。Otherwise，shewascalmandunruffled，aswhenearliershestoodasideforhimtopassinthroughthenarrowirondoor。

CHAPTERXIX——ANENEMYINTHEDARK

AdamSaltonwentforawalkbeforereturningtoLesserHill;hefeltthatitmightbewell，notonlytosteadyhisnerves，shakenbythehorriblescene，buttogethisthoughtsintosomesortoforder，soastobereadytoenteronthematterwithSirNathaniel。Hewasalittleembarrassedastotellinghisuncle，foraffairshadsovastlyprogressedbeyondhisoriginalviewthathefeltalittledoubtfulastowhatwouldbetheoldgentleman’sattitudewhenheshouldhearofthestrangeeventsforthefirsttime。Mr。Saltonwouldcertainlynotbesatisfiedatbeingtreatedasanoutsiderwithregardtosuchthings，mostofwhichhadpointsofcontactwiththeinmatesofhisownhouse。ItwaswithanimmensesenseofreliefthatAdamheardthathisunclehadtelegraphedtothehousekeeperthathewasdetainedbybusinessatWalsall，wherehewouldremainforthenight;andthathewouldbebackinthemorningintimeforlunch。

WhenAdamgothomeafterhiswalk，hefoundSirNathanieljustgoingtobed。Hedidnotsayanythingtohimthenofwhathadhappened，butcontentedhimselfwitharrangingthattheywouldwalktogetherintheearlymorning，ashehadmuchtosaythatwouldrequireseriousattention。

Strangelyenoughhesleptwell，andawokeatdawnwithhismindclearandhisnervesintheirusualunshakencondition。Themaidbroughtup，withhisearlymorningcupoftea，anotewhichhadbeenfoundintheletter—box。ItwasfromLadyArabella，andwasevidentlyintendedtoputhimonhisguardastowhatheshouldsayaboutthepreviousevening。

Hereaditovercarefullyseveraltimes，beforehewassatisfiedthathehadtakeninitsfullimport。

"DEARMR。SALTON，"IcannotgotobeduntilIhavewrittentoyou，soyoumustforgivemeifIdisturbyou，andatanunseemlytime。Indeed，youmustalsoforgivemeif，intryingtodowhatisright，Ierrinsayingtoomuchortoolittle。ThefactisthatIamquiteupsetandunnervedbyallthathashappenedinthisterriblenight。Ifinditdifficulteventowrite;myhandsshakesothattheyarenotundercontrol，andIamtremblingalloverwithmemoryofthehorrorswesawenactedbeforeoureyes。IamgrievedbeyondmeasurethatI

shouldbe，howeverremotely，acauseofthishorrorcomingonyou。

Forgivemeifyoucan，anddonotthinktoohardlyofme。ThisI

askwithconfidence，forsincewesharedtogetherthedanger——theverypangs——ofdeath，Ifeelthatweshouldbetooneanothersomethingmorethanmerefriends，thatImayleanonyouandtrustyou，assuredthatyoursympathyandpityareforme。Youreallymustletmethankyouforthefriendliness，thehelp，theconfidence，therealaidatatimeofdeadlydangeranddeadlyfearwhichyoushowedme。Thatawfulman——Ishallseehimforeverinmydreams。Hisblack，malignantfacewillshutoutallmemoryofsunshineandhappiness。Ishalleternallyseehisevileyesashethrewhimselfintothatwell—holeinavainefforttoescapefromtheconsequencesofhisownmisdoing。ThemoreIthinkofit，themoreapparentitseemstomethathehadpremeditatedthewholething——ofcourse，excepthisownhorribledeath。

"PerhapsyouhavenoticedafurcollarIoccasionallywear。Itisoneofmymostvaluedtreasures——anerminecollarstuddedwithemeralds。Ihadoftenseenthenigger’seyesgleamcovetouslywhenhelookedatit。Unhappily，Iworeityesterday。Thatmayhavebeenthecausethatluredthepoormantohisdoom。Ontheverybrinkoftheabysshetorethecollarfrommyneck——thatwasthelastIsawofhim。Whenhesankintothehole，Iwasrushingtotheirondoor，whichIpulledbehindme。WhenIheardthatsoul—

sickeningyell，whichmarkedhisdisappearanceinthechasm，IwasmoregladthanIcansaythatmyeyesweresparedthepainandhorrorwhichmyearshadtoendure。

"WhenItoremyselfoutofthenegro’sgraspashesankintothewell—hole;Irealisedwhatfreedommeant。Freedom！Freedom！Notonlyfromthatnoisomeprison—house，whichhasnowsuchamemory，butfromthemorenoisomeembraceofthathideousmonster。WhilstI

live，Ishallalwaysthankyouformyfreedom。Awomanmustsometimesexpresshergratitude;otherwiseitbecomestoogreattobear。Iamnotasentimentalgirl，whomerelylikestothankaman;

Iamawomanwhoknowsall，ofbadaswellasgood，thatlifecangive。Ihaveknownwhatitistoloveandtolose。Butyoumustnotletmebringanyunhappinessintoyourlife。Imustliveon——asIhavelived——alone，and，inaddition，bearwithotherwoesthememoryofthislatestinsultandhorror。Inthemeantime，ImustgetawayasquicklyaspossiblefromDiana’sGrove。InthemorningIshallgouptotown，whereIshallremainforaweek——Icannotstaylonger，asbusinessaffairsdemandmypresencehere。Ithink，however，thataweekintherushofbusyLondon，surroundedwithmultitudesofcommonplacepeople，willhelptosoften——Icannotexpecttotalobliteration——theterribleimagesofthebygonenight。

WhenIcansleepeasily——whichwillbe，Ihope，afteradayortwo——

Ishallbefittoreturnhomeandtakeupagaintheburdenwhichwill，Isuppose，alwaysbewithme。

"Ishallbemosthappytoseeyouonmyreturn——orearlier，ifmygoodfortunesendsyouonanyerrandtoLondon。IshallstayattheMayfairHotel。Inthatbusyspotwemayforgetsomeofthedangersandhorrorswehavesharedtogether。Adieu，andthankyou，againandagain，forallyourkindnessandconsiderationtome。

"ARABELLAMARSH。"

Adamwassurprisedbythiseffusiveepistle，buthedeterminedtosaynothingofittoSirNathanieluntilheshouldhavethoughtitwellover。WhenAdammetSirNathanielatbreakfast，hewasgladthathehadtakentimetoturnthingsoverinhismind。Theresulthadbeenthatnotonlywashefamiliarwiththefactsinalltheirbearings，buthehadalreadysofardifferentiatedthemthathewasabletoarrangetheminhisownmindaccordingtotheirvalues。

Breakfasthadbeenasilentfunction，soitdidnotinterfereinanywaywiththeprocessofthought。

Sosoonasthedoorwasclosed，SirNathanielbegan：

"Isee，Adam，thatsomethinghasoccurred，andthatyouhavemuchtotellme。"

"Thatisso，sir。IsupposeIhadbetterbeginbytellingyouallI

know——allthathashappenedsinceIleftyouyesterday？"

AccordinglyAdamgavehimdetailsofallthathadhappenedduringthepreviousevening。Heconfinedhimselfrigidlytothenarrationofcircumstances，takingcarenottocoloureventsbyanycommentofhisown，oranyopinionofthemeaningofthingswhichhedidnotfullyunderstand。Atfirst，SirNathanielseemeddisposedtoaskquestions，butshortlygavethisupwhenherecognisedthatthenarrationwasconciseandself—explanatory。Thenceforth，hecontentedhimselfwithquicklooksandglances，easilyinterpreted，orbysomeacquiescentmotionsofhishands，whensuchcouldbeconvenient，toemphasisehisideaofthecorrectnessofanyinference。UntilAdamceasedspeaking，havingevidentlycometoanendofwhathehadtosaywithregardtothissectionofhisstory，theeldermanmadenocommentwhatever。EvenwhenAdamtookfromhispocketLadyArabella’sletter，withthemanifestintentionofreadingit，hedidnotmakeanycomment。Finally，whenAdamfoldeduptheletterandputit，initsenvelope，backinhispocket，asanintimationthathehadnowquitefinished，theolddiplomatistcarefullymadeafewnotesinhispocket—book。

"Yournarrative，mydearAdam，isaltogetheradmirable。IthinkI

maynowtakeitthatwearebothwellversedintheactualfacts，andthatourconferencehadbettertaketheshapeofamutualexchangeofideas。Letusbothaskquestionsastheymayarise;andIdonotdoubtthatweshallarriveatsomeenlighteningconclusions。"

"Willyoukindlybegin，sir？Idonotdoubtthat，withyourlongerexperience，youwillbeabletodissipatesomeofthefogwhichenvelopscertainofthethingswhichwehavetoconsider。"

"Ihopeso，mydearboy。Forabeginning，then，letmesaythatLadyArabella’slettermakesclearsomethingswhichsheintended——

andalsosomethingswhichshedidnotintend。But，beforeIbegintodrawdeductions，letmeaskyouafewquestions。Adam，areyouheart—whole，quiteheart—whole，inthematterofLadyArabella？"

Hiscompanionansweredatonce，eachlookingtheotherstraightintheeyesduringquestionandanswer。

"LadyArabella，sir，isacharmingwoman，andIshouldhavedeemeditaprivilegetomeether——totalktoher——even——sinceIamintheconfessional——toflirtalittlewithher。Butifyoumeantoaskifmyaffectionsareinanywayengaged，Icanemphaticallyanswer’No！’——asindeedyouwillunderstandwhenpresentlyIgiveyouthereason。Apartfromthat，therearetheunpleasantdetailswediscussedtheotherday。"

"Couldyou——wouldyoumindgivingmethereasonnow？Itwillhelpustounderstandwhatisbeforeus，inthewayofdifficulty。"

"Certainly，sir。Myreason，onwhichIcanfullydepend，isthatI

loveanotherwoman！"

"Thatclinchesit。MayIoffermygoodwishes，and，Ihope，mycongratulations？"

"Iamproudofyourgoodwishes，sir，andIthankyouforthem。Butitistoosoonforcongratulations——theladydoesnotevenknowmyhopesyet。Indeed，Ihardlyknewthemmyself，asdefinite，tillthismoment。"

"Itakeitthen，Adam，thatattherighttimeImaybeallowedtoknowwhotheladyis？"

Adamlaughedalow，sweetlaugh，suchasripplesfromahappyheart。

"Thereneednotbeanhour’s，aminute’sdelay。Ishallbegladtosharemysecretwithyou，sir。Thelady，sir，whomIamsohappyastolove，andinwhommydreamsoflife—longhappinessarecentred，isMimiWatford！"

"Then，mydearAdam，Ineednotwaittooffercongratulations。Sheisindeedaverycharmingyounglady。IdonotthinkIeversawagirlwhounitedinsuchperfectionthequalitiesofstrengthofcharacterandsweetnessofdisposition。Withallmyheart，I

congratulateyou。ThenImaytakeitthatmyquestionastoyourheart—wholenessisansweredintheaffirmative？"

"Yes;andnow，sir，mayIaskinturnwhythequestion？"

"Certainly！Iaskedbecauseitseemstomethatwearecomingtoapointwheremyquestionsmightbepainfultoyou。"

"ItisnotmerelythatIloveMimi，butIhavereasontolookonLadyArabellaasherenemy，"Adamcontinued。

"Herenemy？"

"Yes。Arankandunscrupulousenemywhoisbentonherdestruction。"

SirNathanielwenttothedoor，lookedoutsideitandreturned，lockingitcarefullybehindhim。

CHAPTERXX——METABOLISM

"AmIlookinggrave？"askedSirNathanielinconsequentlywhenhere—

enteredtheroom。

"Youcertainlyare，sir。"

"Welittlethoughtwhenfirstwemetthatweshouldbedrawnintosuchavortex。Alreadywearemixedupinrobbery，andprobablymurder，but——athousandtimesworsethanallthecrimesinthecalendar——inanaffairofghastlymysterywhichhasnobottomandnoend——withforcesofthemostunnervingkind，whichhadtheirorigininanagewhentheworldwasdifferentfromtheworldwhichweknow。

Wearegoingbacktotheoriginofsuperstition——toanagewhendragonstoreeachotherintheirslime。Wemustfearnothing——noconclusion，howeverimprobable，almostimpossibleitmaybe。Lifeanddeathishangingonourjudgment，notonlyforourselves，butforotherswhomwelove。Remember，IcountonyouasIhopeyoucountonme。"

"Ido，withallconfidence。"

"Then，"saidSirNathaniel，"letusthinkjustlyandboldlyandfearnothing，howeverterrifyingitmayseem。IsupposeIamtotakeasexactineverydetailyouraccountofallthestrangethingswhichhappenedwhilstyouwereinDiana’sGrove？"

"SofarasIknow，yes。OfcourseImaybemistakeninrecollectionofsomedetailoranother，butIamcertainthatinthemainwhatI

havesaidiscorrect。"

"YoufeelsurethatyousawLadyArabellaseizethenegroroundtheneck，anddraghimdownwithherintothehole？"

"Absolutelycertain，sir，otherwiseIshouldhavegonetoherassistance。"

"Wehave，then，anaccountofwhathappenedfromaneye—witnesswhomwetrust——thatisyourself。Wehavealsoanotheraccount，writtenbyLadyArabellaunderherownhand。Thesetwoaccountsdonotagree。Thereforewemusttakeitthatoneofthetwoislying。"

"Apparently，sir。"

"AndthatLadyArabellaistheliar！"

"Apparently——asIamnot。"

"Wemust，therefore，trytofindareasonforherlying。ShehasnothingtofearfromOolanga，whoisdead。Thereforetheonlyreasonwhichcouldactuateherwouldbetoconvincesomeoneelsethatshewasblameless。This’someone’couldnotbeyou，foryouhadtheevidenceofyourowneyes。Therewasnooneelsepresent;

thereforeitmusthavebeenanabsentperson。"

"Thatseemsbeyonddispute，sir。"

"Thereisonlyoneotherpersonwhosegoodopinionshecouldwishtokeep——EdgarCaswall。Heistheonlyonewhofillsthebill。HerliespointtootherthingsbesidesthedeathoftheAfrican。Sheevidentlywantedittobeacceptedthathisfallingintothewellwashisownact。Icannotsupposethatsheexpectedtoconvinceyou，theeye—witness;butifshewishedlaterontospreadthestory，itwaswiseofhertotrytogetyouracceptanceofit。"

"Thatisso！"

"Thentherewereothermattersofuntruth。That，forinstance，oftheerminecollarembroideredwithemeralds。Ifanunderstandablereasonberequiredforthis，itwouldbetodrawattentionawayfromthegreenlightswhichwereseenintheroom，andespeciallyinthewell—hole。Anyunprejudicedpersonwouldacceptthegreenlightstobetheeyesofagreatsnake，suchastraditionpointedtolivinginthewell—hole。Infine，therefore，LadyArabellawantedthegeneralbelieftobethattherewasnosnakeofthekindinDiana’sGrove。

Formyownpart，Idon’tbelieveinapartialliar——thisartdoesnotdealinveneer;aliarisaliarrightthrough。Self—interestmaypromptfalsityofthetongue;butifoneprovetobealiar，nothingthathesayscaneverbebelieved。Thisleadsustotheconclusionthatbecauseshesaidorinferredthattherewasnosnake，weshouldlookforone——andexpecttofindit，too。

"Nowletmedigress。Ilive，andhaveformanyyearslived，inDerbyshire，acountymorecelebratedforitscavesthananyothercountyinEngland。Ihavebeenthroughthemall，andamfamiliarwitheveryturnofthem;asalsowithothergreatcavesinKentucky，inFrance，inGermany，andahostofotherplaces——inmanyofthesearetremendouslydeepcavesofnarrowaperture，whicharevaluedbyintrepidexplorers，whodescendnarrowgulletsofabysmaldepth——andsometimesneverreturn。InmanyofthecavernsinthePeakIamconvincedthatsomeofthesmallerpassageswereusedinprimevaltimesasthelairsofsomeofthegreatserpentsoflegendandtradition。Itmayhavebeenthatsuchcavernswereformedintheusualgeologicway——bubblesorflawsintheearth’scrust——whichwerelaterusedbythemonstersoftheperiodoftheyoungworld。

Itmayhavebeen，ofcourse，thatsomeofthemwerewornoriginallybywater;butintimetheyallfoundausewhensuitableforlivingmonsters。

"Thisbringsustoanotherpoint，moredifficulttoacceptandunderstandthananyotherrequiringbeliefinabasenotusuallyaccepted，orindeedenteredon——whethersuchabnormalgrowthscouldhaveeverchangedintheirnature。Somedaythestudyofmetabolismmayprogresssofarastoenableustoacceptstructuralchangesproceedingfromanintellectualormoralbase。Wemayleantowardsabeliefthatgreatanimalstrengthmaybeasoundbaseforchangesofallsorts。Ifthisbeso，whatcouldbeamorefittingsubjectthanprimevalmonsterswhosestrengthwassuchastoallowasurvivalofthousandsofyears？Wedonotknowyetifbraincanincreaseanddevelopindependentlyofotherpartsofthelivingstructure。

"Afterall，themediaevalbeliefinthePhilosopher’sStonewhichcouldtransmutemetals，hasitscounterpartintheacceptedtheoryofmetabolismwhichchangeslivingtissue。Inanageofinvestigationlikeourown，whenwearereturningtoscienceasthebaseofwonders——almostofmiracles——weshouldbeslowtorefusetoacceptfacts，howeverimpossibletheymayseemtobe。

"Letussupposeamonsteroftheearlydaysoftheworld——adragonoftheprime——ofvastagerunningintothousandsofyears，towhomhadbeenconveyedinsomeway——itmattersnot——abrainjustsufficientforthebeginningofgrowth。Supposethemonstertobeofincalculablesizeandofastrengthquiteabnormal——averitableincarnationofanimalstrength。Supposethisanimalisallowedtoremaininoneplace，thusbeingremovedfromaccidentsofinterrupteddevelopment;mightnot，wouldnotthiscreature，inprocessoftime——ages，ifnecessary——havethatrudimentaryintelligencedeveloped？Thereisnoimpossibilityinthis;itisonlythenaturalprocessofevolution。Inthebeginning，theinstinctsofanimalsareconfinedtoalimentation，self—protection，andthemultiplicationoftheirspecies。Astimegoesonandtheneedsoflifebecomemorecomplex，powerfollowsneed。Wehavebeenlongaccustomedtoconsidergrowthasappliedalmostexclusivelytosizeinitsvariousaspects。ButNature，whohasnodoctrinaireideas，mayequallyapplyittoconcentration。Adevelopingthingmayexpandinanygivenwayorform。Now，itisascientificlawthatincreaseimpliesgainandlossofvariouskinds;whatathinggainsinonedirectionitmayloseinanother。MayitnotbethatMotherNaturemaydeliberatelyencouragedecreaseaswellasincrease——thatitmaybeanaxiomthatwhatisgainedinconcentrationislostinsize？Take，forinstance，monstersthattraditionhasacceptedandlocalised，suchastheWormofLambtonorthatofSpindlestonHeugh。Ifsuchacreaturewere，byitsownprocessofmetabolism，tochangemuchofitsbulkforintellectualgrowth，weshouldatoncearriveatanewclassofcreature——moredangerous，perhaps，thantheworldhaseverhadanyexperienceof——aforcewhichcanthink，whichhasnosoulandnomorals，andthereforenoacceptanceofresponsibility。Asnakewouldbeagoodillustrationofthis，foritiscold—blooded，andthereforeremovedfromthetemptationswhichoftenweakenorrestrictwarm—bloodedcreatures。If，forinstance，theWormofLambton——ifsucheverexisted——wereguidedtoitsownendsbyanorganisedintelligencecapableofexpansion，whatformofcreaturecouldweimaginewhichwouldequalitinpotentialitiesofevil？Why，suchabeingwoulddevastateawholecountry。Now，allthesethingsrequiremuchthought，andwewanttoapplytheknowledgeusefully，andweshouldthereforebeexact。Woulditnotbewelltoresumethesubjectlaterintheday？"

"Iquiteagree，sir。Iaminawhirlalready;andwanttoattendcarefullytowhatyousay;sothatImaytrytodigestit。"

Bothmenseemedfresherandbetterforthe"easy，"andwhentheymetintheafternooneachofthemhadsomethingtocontributetothegeneralstockofinformation。Adam，whowasbynatureofamoremilitantdispositionthanhiselderlyfriend，wasgladtoseethattheconferenceatonceassumedapracticaltrend。SirNathanielrecognisedthis，and，likeanolddiplomatist，turnedittopresentuse。

"Tellmenow，Adam，whatistheoutcome，inyourownmind，ofourconversation？"

"Thatthewholedifficultyalreadyassumespracticalshape;butwithaddeddangers，thatatfirstIdidnotimagine。"

"Whatisthepracticalshape，andwhataretheaddeddangers？Iamnotdisputing，butonlytryingtoclearmyownideasbytheconsiderationofyours——"

SoAdamwenton：

"Inthepast，intheearlydaysoftheworld，thereweremonsterswhoweresovastthattheycouldexistforthousandsofyears。SomeofthemmusthaveoverlappedtheChristianera。Theymayhaveprogressedintellectuallyinprocessoftime。Iftheyhadinanywaysoprogressed，orevengotthemostrudimentaryformofbrain，theywouldbethemostdangerousthingsthateverwereintheworld。

TraditionsaysthatoneofthesemonsterslivedintheMarshoftheEast，andcameuptoacaveinDiana’sGrove，whichwasalsocalledtheLairoftheWhiteWorm。Suchcreaturesmayhavegrowndownaswellasup。TheyMAYhavegrowninto，orsomethinglike，humanbeings。LadyArabellaMarchisofsnakenature。Shehascommittedcrimestoourknowledge。Sheretainssomethingofthevaststrengthofherprimalbeing——canseeinthedark——hastheeyesofasnake。

Sheusedthenigger，andthendraggedhimthroughthesnake’sholedowntotheswamp;sheisintentonevil，andhatessomeonewelove。Result……"

"Yes，theresult？"

"First，thatMimiWatfordshouldbetakenawayatonce——then——"

"Yes？"

"Themonstermustbedestroyed。"

"Bravo！Thatisatrueandfearlessconclusion。Atwhatevercost，itmustbecarriedout。"

"Atonce？"

"Soon，atallevents。Thatcreature’sveryexistenceisadanger。

Herpresenceinthisneighbourhoodmakesthedangerimmediate。"

Ashespoke，SirNathaniel’smouthhardenedandhiseyebrowscamedowntilltheymet。Therewasnodoubtinghisconcurrenceintheresolution，orhisreadinesstohelpincarryingitout。Buthewasanelderlymanwithmuchexperienceandknowledgeoflawanddiplomacy。Itseemedtohimtobeasterndutytopreventanythingirrevocabletakingplacetillithadbeenthoughtoutandallwasready。Therewereallsortsoflegalcruxestobethoughtout，notonlyregardingthetakingoflife，evenofamonstrosityinhumanform，butalsoofproperty。LadyArabella，beshewomanorsnakeordevil，ownedthegroundshemovedin，accordingtoBritishlaw，andthelawisjealousandswifttoavengewrongsdonewithinitsken。

Allsuchdifficultiesshouldbe——mustbe——avoidedforMr。Salton’ssake，forAdam’sownsake，and，mostofall，forMimiWatford’ssake。

Beforehespokeagain，SirNathanielhadmadeuphismindthathemusttrytopostponedecisiveactionuntilthecircumstancesonwhichtheydepended——which，afterall，wereonlyproblematical——

shouldhavebeentestedsatisfactorily，onewayoranother。Whenhedidspeak，Adamatfirstthoughtthathisfriendwaswaveringinhisintention，or"funking"theresponsibility。However，hisrespectforSirNathanielwassogreatthathewouldnotact，orevencometoaconclusiononavitalpoint，withouthissanction。

Hecamecloseandwhisperedinhisear：

"Wewillprepareourplanstocombatanddestroythishorriblemenace，afterwehaveclearedupsomeofthemorebafflingpoints。

Meanwhile，wemustwaitforthenight——Ihearmyuncle’sfootstepsechoingdownthehall。"

SirNathanielnoddedhisapproval。

CHAPTERXXI——GREENLIGHT

WhenoldMr。Saltonhadretiredforthenight，AdamandSirNathanielreturnedtothestudy。ThingswentwithgreatregularityatLesserHill，sotheyknewthattherewouldbenointerruptiontotheirtalk。

Whentheircigarswerelighted，SirNathanielbegan。

"Ihope，Adam，thatyoudonotthinkmeeitherslackorchangeableofpurpose。Imeantogothroughthisbusinesstothebitterend——

whateveritmaybe。Besatisfiedthatmyfirstcareis，andshallbe，theprotectionofMimiWatford。TothatIampledged;mydearboy，wewhoareinterestedareallinthesamedanger。Thatsemi—

humanmonsteroutofthepithatesandmeanstodestroyusall——youandmecertainly，andprobablyyouruncle。Iwantedespeciallytotalkwithyouto—night，forIcannothelpthinkingthatthetimeisfastcoming——ifithasnotcomealready——whenwemusttakeyouruncleintoourconfidence。Itwasonethingwhenfanciedevilsthreatened，butnowheisprobablymarkedfordeath，anditisonlyrightthatheshouldknowall。"

"Iamwithyou，sir。Thingshavechangedsinceweagreedtokeephimoutofthetrouble。Nowwedarenot;considerationforhisfeelingsmightcosthislife。Itisaduty——andnolightorpleasantone，either。Ihavenotashadowofdoubtthathewillwanttobeonewithusinthis。Butremember，wearehisguests;