第18章

Heslowlyliftedoneofhishands，andpointedatmewithhislongforefinger。

"Yoususpectsomebody，"hesaid。

Thetoneinwhichhespokewaslowandthreatening；itwarnedmetobecareful。Atthesametime，ifInowshuthimoutofmyconfidence，Ishouldlosetherewardthatmightyetbetocome，forallthatIhadsufferedandriskedatthatperilousinterview。

"Yoususpectsomebody，"herepeated。

"Perhaps！"wasallthatIsaidinreturn。

"Isthepersonwithinyourreach？"

"Notyet。"

"Doyouknowwherethepersonis？"

"No。"

Helaidhisheadlanguidlyonthebackofhischair，withatremblinglong—drawnsigh。Washedisappointed？Orwasherelieved？Orwashesimplyexhaustedinmindandbodyalike？Whocouldfathomhim？Whocouldsay？

"Willyougivemefiveminutes？"heasked，feeblyandwearily，withoutraisinghishead。"YouknowalreadyhowanyreferencetoeventsatGleninchexcitesandshakesme。Ishallbefitforitagain，ifyouwillkindlygivemeafewminutestomyself。Therearebooksinthenextroom。Pleaseexcuseme。"

Iatonceretiredtothecircularantechamber。Hefollowedmeinhischair，andclosedthedoorbetweenus。

CHAPTERXXIX。

INTHELIGHT。

ALITTLEintervalofsolitudewasarelieftome，aswellastoMiserrimusDexter。

StartlingdoubtsbesetmeasIwalkedrestlesslybackwardandforward，nowintheanteroom，andnowinthecorridoroutside。ItwasplainthatIhad（quiteinnocently）disturbedthereposeofsomeformidablesecretsinMiserrimusDexter’smind。Iconfusedandweariedmypoorbrainsintryingtoguesswhatthesecretsmightbe。Allmyingenuity——asafter—eventsshowedme——waswastedonspeculationsnotoneofwhichevenapproachedthetruth。IwasonsurergroundwhenIarrivedattheconclusionthatDexterhadreallykepteverymortalcreatureoutofhisconfidence。HecouldneverhavebetrayedsuchserioussignsofdisturbanceasIhadnoticedinhim，ifhehadpubliclyacknowledgedattheTrial，orifhehadprivatelycommunicatedtoanychosenfriend，allthatheknewofthetragicandterribledramaactedinthebedchamberatGleninch。Whatpowerfulinfluencehadinducedhimtoclosehislips？Hadhebeensilentinmercytoothers？orindreadofconsequencestohimself？Impossibletotell！CouldIhopethathewouldconfidetoMewhathehadkeptsecretfromJusticeandFriendshipalike？WhenheknewwhatIreallywantedofhim，wouldhearmme，outofhisownstoresofknowledge，withtheweaponthatwouldwinmevictoryinthestruggletocome？Thechanceswereagainstit——therewasnodenyingthat。Stilltheendwasworthtryingfor。Thecapriceofthemomentmightyetstandmyfriend，withsuchawaywardbeingasMiserrimusDexter。Myplansandprojectsweresufficientlystrange，sufficientlywideoftheordinarylimitsofawoman’sthoughtsandactions，toattracthissympathies。"Whoknows，"Ithoughttomyself，"ifImaynottakehisconfidencebysurprise，bysimplytellinghimthetruth？"

Theintervalexpired；thedoorwasthrownopen；thevoiceofmyhostsummonedmeagaintotheinnerroom。

"Welcomeback！"saidMiserrimusDexter。

"DearMrs。Valeria，Iamquitemyselfagain。Howareyou？"

Helookedandspokewiththeeasycordialityofanoldfriend。

Duringtheperiodofmyabsence，shortasitwas，anotherchangehadpassedoverthismostmultiformoflivingbeings。Hiseyessparkledwithgood—humor；hischeekswereflushingunderanewexcitementofsomesort。EvenhisdresshadundergonealterationsinceIhadseenitlast。Henowworeanextemporizedcapofwhitepaper；hisrufflesweretuckedup；acleanapronwasthrownoverthesea—greencoverlet。Hehackedhischairbeforeme，bowingandsmiling，andwavedmetoaseatwiththegraceofadancingmaster，chastenedbythedignityofalordinwaiting。

"Iamgoingtocook，"heannounced，withthemostengagingsimplicity。"Webothstandinneedofrefreshmentbeforewereturntotheseriousbusinessofourinterview。Youseemeinmycook’sdress；forgiveit。Thereisaforminthesethings。Iamagreatsticklerforforms。Ihavebeentakingsomewine。Pleasesanctionthatproceedingbytakingsomewinetoo。"

HefilledagobletofancientVenetianglasswithapurple—redliquor，beautifultosee。

"Burgundy！"hesaid——"thekingofwine：AndthisisthekingofBurgundies——ClosVougeot。Idrinktoyourhealthandhappiness！"

Hefilledasecondgobletforhimself，andhonoredthetoastbydrainingittothebottom。Inowunderstoodthesparkleinhiseyesandtheflushinhischeeks。Itwasmyinterestnottooffendhim。Idrankalittleofhiswine，andIquiteagreedwithhim。Ithoughtitdelicious。

"Whatshallweeat？"heasked。"ItmustbesomethingworthyofourClosVougeot。Arielisgoodatroastingandboilingjoints，poorwretch！butIdon’tinsultyourtastebyofferingyouAriel’scookery。Plainjoints！"heexclaimed，withanexpressionofrefineddisgust。"Bah！Amanwhoeatsaplainjointisonlyoneremovefromacannibalorabutcher。Willyouleaveittometodiscoversomethingmoreworthyofus？Letusgotothekitchen。"

Hewheeledhischairaround，andinvitedmetoaccompanyhimwithacourteouswaveofhishand。

Ifollowedthechairtosomeclosedcurtainsatoneendoftheroom，whichIhadnothithertonoticed。Drawingasidethecurtains，herevealedtoviewanalcove，inwhichstoodaneatlittlegas—stoveforcooking。Drawersandcupboards，plates，dishes，andsaucepans，wererangedaroundthealcove——allonaminiaturescale，allscrupulouslybrightandclean。"Welcometothekitchen！"saidMiserrimusDexter。Hedrewoutofarecessinthewallamarbleslab，whichservedasatable，andreflectedprofoundly，withhishandtohishead。"Ihaveit！"hecried，andopeningoneofthecupboardsnext，tookfromitablackbottleofaformthatwasnewtome。Soundingthisbottlewithaspike，hepiercedandproducedtoviewsomelittleirregularlyformedblackobjects，whichmighthavebeenfamiliarenoughtoawomanaccustomedtotheluxurioustablesoftherich，butwhichwereanewrevelationtoapersonlikemyself，whohadledasimplecountrylifeinthehouseofaclergymanwithsmallmeans。WhenIsawmyhostcarefullylayouttheseoccultsubstancesofuninvitingappearanceonacleannapkin，andthenplungeoncemoreintoprofoundreflectionatthesightofthem，mycuriositycouldbenolongerrestrained。Iventuredtosay，"Whatarethosethings，Mr。Dexter，andarewereallygoingtoeatthem？"

Hestartedattherashquestion，andlookedatmewithhandsoutspreadinirrepressibleastonishment。

"Whereisourboastedprogress？"hecried。Whatiseducationbutaname？Hereisacultivatedpersonwhodoesn’tknowTruffleswhensheseesthem！"

"Ihaveheardoftruffles，"Ianswered，humbly，"butIneversawthembefore。Wehadnosuchforeignluxuriesasthose，Mr。

Dexter，athomeintheNorth。"

MiserrimusDexterliftedoneofthetrufflestenderlyonhisspike，andheldituptomeinafavorablelight。

"Makethemostofoneofthefewfirstsensationsinthislifewhichhasnoingredientofdisappointmentlurkingunderthesurface，"hesaid。"Lookatit；meditateoverit。Youshalleatit，Mrs。Valeria，stewedinBurgundy！"

Helightedthegasforcookingwiththeairofamanwhowasabouttooffermeaninestimableproofofhisgood—will。

"ForgivemeifIobservethemostabsolutesilence，"hesaid，"datingfromthemomentwhenItakethisinmyhand。"Heproducedabrightlittlestew—panfromhiscollectionofculinaryutensilsashespoke。"Properlypursued，theArtofCookeryallowsofnodividedattention，"hecontinued，gravely。"Inthatobservationyouwillfindthereasonwhynowomaneverhasreached，oreverwillreach，thehighestdistinctionasacook。Asarule，womenareincapableofabsolutelyconcentratingtheirattentiononanyoneoccupationforanygiventime。Theirmindswillrunonsomethingelse——say；typically，forthesakeofillustration，theirsweetheartortheirnewbonnet。Theoneobstacle，Mrs。

Valeria，toyourrisingequaltothemeninthevariousindustrialprocessesoflifeisnotraised，asthewomenvainlysuppose，bythedefectiveinstitutionsoftheagetheylivein。

No！theobstacleisinthemselves。Noinstitutionsthatcanbedevisedtoencouragethemwilleverbestrongenoughtocontendsuccessfullywiththesweetheartandthenewbonnet。Alittlewhileago，forinstance，Iwasinstrumentalingettingwomenemployedinourlocalpost—officehere。TheotherdayItookthetrouble——aseriousbusinesstome——ofgettingdownstairs，andwheelingmyselfawaytotheofficetoseehowtheyweregettingon。Itookaletterwithmetoregister。Ithadanunusuallylongaddress。Theregisteringwomanbegancopyingtheaddressonthereceiptform，inabusiness—likemannercheeringanddelightfultosee。Halfwaythrough，alittlechild—sisterofoneoftheotherwomenemployedtrottedintotheoffice，andpoppedunderthecountertogoandspeaktoherrelative。Theregisteringwoman’smindinstantlygaveway。Herpencilstopped；hereyeswanderedofftothechildwithacharmingexpressionofinterest。

’Well，Lucy，’shesaid，’howd’yedo？’Thensherememberedbusinessagain，andreturnedtoherreceipt。WhenItookitacrossthecounter，animportantlineintheaddressofmyletterwasleftoutinthecopy。ThankstoLucy。NowamaninthesamepositionwouldnothaveseenLucy——hewouldhavebeentoocloselyoccupiedwithwhathewasaboutatthemoment。Thereisthewholedifferencebetweenthementalconstitutionofthesexes，whichnolegislationwilleveralteraslongastheworldlasts！Whatdoesitmatter？Womenareinfinitelysuperiortomeninthemoralqualitieswhicharethetrueadornmentsofhumanity。Becontent——oh，mymistakensisters，becontentwiththat！"

Hetwistedhischairaroundtowardthestove。Itwasuselesstodisputethequestionwithhim，evenifIhadfeltinclinedtodoso。Heabsorbedhimselfinhisstew—pan。

Ilookedaboutmeintheroom。

Thesameinsatiablerelishforhorrorsexhibiteddownstairsbythepicturesinthehallwasdisplayedagainhere。Thephotographshangingonthewallrepresentedthevariousformsofmadnesstakenfromthelife。Theplastercastsrangedontheshelfoppositewerecasts（afterdeath）oftheheadsoffamousmurderers。Afrightfullittleskeletonofawomanhunginacupboard，behindaglazeddoor，withthiscynicalinscriptionplacedabovetheskull："Beholdthescaffoldingonwhichbeautyisbuilt！"Inacorrespondingcupboard，withthedoorwideopen，therehunginloosefoldsashirt（asItookittobe）ofchamoisleather。Touchingit（andfindingittobefarsofterthananychamoisleatherthatmyfingershadeverfeltbefore），I

disarrangedthefolds，anddisclosedaticketpinnedamongthem，describingthethinginthesehorridlines："SkinofaFrenchMarquis，tannedintheRevolutionofNinety—three。Whosaysthenobilityarenotgoodforsomething？Theymakegoodleather。"

Afterthislastspecimenofmyhost’stasteincuriosities，I

pursuedmyinvestigationnofurther。Ireturnedtomychair，andwaitedforthetruffles。

Afterabriefinterval，thevoiceofthepoet—painter—composer—and—cooksummonedmebacktothealcove。

Thegaswasout。Thestew—pananditsaccompanimentshadvanished。Onthemarbleslabweretwoplates，twonapkins，tworollsofbread，andadish，withanothernapkininit，onwhichreposedtwoquaintlittleblackballs。MiserrimusDexter，regardingmewithasmileofbenevolentinterest，putoneoftheballsonmyplate，andtooktheotherhimself。"Composeyourself，Mrs。Valeria，"hesaid。"Thisisanepochinyourlife。YourfirstTruffle！Don’ttouchitwiththeknife。Usetheforkalone。

And——pardonme；thisismostimportant——eatslowly。"

Ifollowedmyinstructions，andassumedanenthusiasmwhichI

honestlyconfessIdidnotfeel。Iprivatelythoughtthenewvegetableagreatdealtoorich，andinotherrespectsquiteunworthyofthefussthathadbeenmadeaboutit。MiserrimusDexterlingeredandlanguishedoverhistruffles，andsippedhiswonderfulBurgundy，andsanghisownpraisesasacookuntilI

wasreallyalmostmadwithimpatiencetoreturntotherealobjectofmyvisit。Intherecklessstateofmindwhichthisfeelingproduced，Iabruptlyremindedmyhostthathewaswastingourtime，bythemostdangerousquestionthatIcouldpossiblyputtohim。

"Mr。Dexter，"Isaid，"haveyouseenanythinglatelyofMrs。

Beauly？"

Theeasysenseofenjoymentexpressedinhisfaceleftitatthoserashwords，andwentoutlikeasuddenlyextinguishedlight。ThatfurtivedistrustofmewhichIhadalreadynoticedinstantlymadeitselffeltagaininhismannerandinhisvoice。

"DoyouknowMrs。Beauly？"heasked。

"Ionlyknowher，"Ianswered，"bywhatIhavereadofherintheTrial。"

Hewasnotsatisfiedwiththatreply。

"YoumusthaveaninterestofsomesortinMrs。Beauly，"hesaid，"oryouwouldnothaveaskedmeabouther。Isittheinterestofafriend，ortheinterestofanenemy？"

RashasImightbe，Iwasnotquiterecklessenoughyettomeetthatplainquestionbyanequallyplainreply。Isawenoughinhisfacetowarnmetobecarefulwithhimbeforeitwastoolate。

"Icanonlyansweryouinoneway，"Irejoined。"Imustreturntoasubjectwhichisverypainfultoyou——thesubjectoftheTrial。"

"Goon，"hesaid，withoneofhisgrimoutburstsofhumor。"HereIamatyourmercy——amartyratthestake。Pokethefire！pokethefire！"

"Iamonlyanignorantwoman，"Iresumed，"andIdaresayIamquitewrong；butthereisonepartofmyhusband’strialwhichdoesn’tatallsatisfyme。Thedefensesetupforhimseemstometohavebeenacompletemistake。"

"Acompletemistake？"herepeated。"Strangelanguage，Mrs。

Valeria，tosaytheleastofit！"Hetriedtospeaklightly；hetookuphisgobletofwine；butIcouldseethatIhadproducedaneffectonhim。Hishandtrembledasitcarriedthewinetohislips。

"Idon’tdoubtthatEustace’sfirstwifereallyaskedhimtobuythearsenic，"Icontinued。"Idon’tdoubtthatsheuseditsecretlytoimprovehercomplexion。ButwhatIdo_not_believeisthatshediedofanoverdoseofthepoison，takenbymistake。"

Heputbackthegobletofwineonthetablenearhimsounsteadilythathespilledthegreaterpartofit。Foramomenthiseyesmetmine，thenlookeddownagain。

"Howdoyoubelieveshedied？"heinquired，intonessolowthatIcouldbarelyhearthem。

"Bythehandofapoisoner，"Ianswered。

Hemadeamovementasifhewereabouttostartupinthechair，andsankbackagain，seized，apparently，withasuddenfaintness。

"Notmyhusband！"Ihastenedtoadd。"YouknowthatIamsatisfiedof_his_innocence。"

Isawhimshudder。Isawhishandsfastentheirholdconvulsivelyonthearmsofhischair。

"Whopoisonedher？"heasked，stilllyinghelplesslybackinthechair。

Atthecriticalmomentmycouragefailedme。Iwasafraidtotellhiminwhatdirectionmysuspicionspointed。

"Can’tyouguess？"Isaid。

Therewasapause。Isupposedhimtobeseceretlyfollowinghisowntrainofthought。Itwasnotforlong。Onasuddenhestartedupinhischair。Theprostrationwhichhadpossessedhimappearedtovanishinaninstant。Hiseyesrecoveredtheirwildlight；hishandsweresteadyagain；hiscolorwasbrighterthanever。HadhebeenponderingoverthesecretofmyinterestinMrs。Beauly？andhadheguessed？Hehad！

"Answeronyourwordofhonor！"hecried。"Don’tattempttodeceiveme！Isitawoman？"

"Itis。"

"Whatisthefirstletterofhername？Isitoneofthefirstthreelettersofthealphabet？"

"Yes。"

"B？"

"Yes。"

"Beauly？"

"Beauly。"

Hethrewhishandsupabovehishead，andburstintoafranticfitoflaughter。

"Ihavelivedlongenough！"hebrokeout，wildly。"AtlastIhavediscoveredoneotherpersonintheworldwhoseesitasplainlyasIdo。CruelMrs。Valeria！whydidyoutortureme？Whydidn’tyouownitbefore？"

"What！"Iexclaimed，catchingtheinfectionofhisexcitement。

"Are_your_ideas_my_ideas？Isitpossiblethat_you_suspectMrs。Beaulytoo？"

Hemadethisremarkablereply：

"Suspect？"herepeated，contemptuously。"Thereisn’ttheshadowofadoubtaboutit。Mrs。Beaulypoisonedher。"

CHAPTERXXX。

THEINDICTMENTOFMRS。BEAULY。

ISTARTEDtomyfeet，andlookedatMiserrimusDexter。Iwastoomuchagitatedtobeabletospeaktohim。

Myutmostexpectationshadnotpreparedmeforthetoneofabsoluteconvictioninwhichhehadspoken。Atthebest，Ihadanticipatedthathemight，bythebarestchance，agreewithmeinsuspectingMrs。Beauly。Andnowhisownlipshadsaidit，withouthesitationorreserve！"Thereisn’ttheshadowofadoubt：Mrs。

Beaulypoisonedher。"

"Sitdown，"hesaid，quietly。"There’snothingtobeafraidof。

Nobodycanhearusinthisroom。"

Isatdownagain，andrecoveredmyselfalittle。

"Haveyounevertoldanyoneelsewhatyouhavejusttoldme？"

wasthefirstquestionthatIputtohim。

"Never。Nooneelsesuspectedher。"

"Noteventhelawyers？"

"Noteventhelawyers。ThereisnolegalevidenceagainstMrs。

Beauly。Thereisnothingbutmoralcertainty。"

"Surelyyoumighthavefoundtheevidenceifyouhadtried？"

Helaughedattheidea。

"Lookatme！"hesaid。"Howisamantohuntupevidencewhoistiedtothischair？Besides，therewereotherdifficultiesinmyway。Iamnotgenerallyinthehabitofneedlesslybetrayingmyself——Iamacautiousman，thoughyoumaynothavenoticedit。

ButmyimmeasurablehatredofMrs。Beaulywasnottobeconcealed。Ifeyescantellsecrets，shemusthavediscovered，inmyeyes，thatIhungeredandthirstedtoseeherinthehangman’shands。Fromfirsttolast，Itellyou，Mrs。Borgia—Beaulywasonherguardagainstme。CanIdescribehercunning？Allmyresourcesoflanguagearenotequaltothetask。Takethedegreesofcomparisontogiveyouafaintideaofit：Iampositivelycunning；thedeviliscomparativelycunning；Mrs。Beaulyissuperlativelycunning。No！no！Ifsheiseverdiscovered，atthisdistanceoftime，itwillnotbedonebyaman——itwillbedonebyawoman：awomanwhomshedoesn’tsuspect；awomanwhocanwatchherwiththepatienceofatigressinastateofstarvation——"

"SayawomanlikeMe！"Ibrokeout。"Iamreadytotry。"

Hiseyesglittered；histeethshowedthemselvesviciouslyunderhismustache；hedrummedfiercelywithbothhandsonthearmsofhischair。

"Doyoureallymeanit？"heasked。

"Putmeinyourposition，"Ianswered。"Enlightenmewithyourmoralcertainty（asyoucallit）——andyoushallsee！"

"I’lldoit！"hesaid。"Tellmeonethingfirst。Howdidanoutsidestranger，likeyou，cometosuspecther？"

Isetbeforehim，tothebestofmyability，thevariouselementsofsuspicionwhichIhadcollectedfromtheevidenceattheTrial；andIlaidespecialstressonthefact（sworntobythenurse）thatMrs。BeaulywasmissingexactlyathetimewhenChristinaOrmsayhadleftMrs。EustaceMacallanaloneinherroom。

"Youhavehitit！"criedMiserrimusDexter。"Youareawonderfulwoman！WhatwasshedoingonthemorningofthedaywhenMrs。

EustaceMacallandiedpoisoned？Andwherewassheduringthedarkhoursofthenight？Icantellyouwhereshewas_not_——shewasnotinherownroom。"

"Notinherownroom？"Irepeated。"Areyoureallysureofthat？"

"IamsureofeverythingthatIsay，whenIamspeakingofMrs。

Beauly。Mindthat：andnowlisten！Thisisadrama；andIexcelindramaticnarrative。Youshalljudgeforyourself。Date，thetwentiethofOctober。ScenetheCorridor，calledtheGuests’

Corridor，atGleninch。Ononeside，arowofwindowslookingoutintothegarden。Ontheother，arowoffourbedrooms，withdressing—roomsattached。Firstbedroom（beginningfromthestaircase），occupiedbyMrs。Beauly。Secondbedroom，empty。Thirdbedroom，occupiedbyMiserrimusDexter。Fourthbedroom，empty。SomuchfortheScene！Thetimecomesnext——thetimeiselevenatnight。Dexterdiscoveredinhisbedroom，reading。EntertohimEustaceMacallan。Eustacespeaks：’Mydearfellow，beparticularlycarefulnottomakeanynoise；don’tbowlyourchairupanddownthecorridorto—night。’Dexterinquires，’Why？’

Eustaceanswers：’Mrs。BeaulyhasbeendiningwithsomefriendsinEdinburgh，andhascomebackterriblyfatigued：shehasgoneuptoherroomtorest。’Dextermakesanotherinquiry（satiricalinquiry，thistime）：’Howdoesshelookwhensheisterriblyfatigued？Asbeautifulasever？’Answer：’Idontknow；Ihavenotseenher；sheslippedupstairs，withoutspeakingtoanybody。’

ThirdinquirybyDexter（logicalinquiry，onthisoccasion）：’Ifshespoketonobody，howdoyouknowsheisfatigued？’EustacehandsDexteramorselofpaper，andanswers：’Dontbeafool！I

foundthisonthehalltable。RememberwhatIhavetoldyouaboutkeepingquiet；good—night！’Eustaceretires。Dexterlooksatthepaper，andreadstheselinesinpencil：’Justreturned。Pleaseforgivemeforgoingtobedwithoutsayinggood—night。Ihaveoverexertedmyself；Iamdreadfullyfatigued。（Signed）Helena。’

Dexterisbynaturesuspicious。DextersuspectsMrs。Beauly。

Nevermindhisreasons；thereisnotimetoenterintohisreasonsnow。Heputstheeasetohimselfthus：’Awearywomanwouldneverhavegivenherselfthetroubletowritethis。Shewouldhavefounditmuchlessfatiguingtoknockatthedrawing—roomdoorasshepassed，andtomakeherapologiesbywordofmouth。Iseesomethinghereoutoftheordinaryway；I

shallmakeanightofitinmychair。Verygood。Dexterproceedstomakeanightofit。Heopenshisdoor；wheelshimselfsoftlyintothecorridor；locksthedoorsofthetwoemptybedrooms，andreturns（withthekeysinhispocket）tohisownroom。’Now，’

saysD。tohimself，’ifIhearadoorsoftlyopenedinthispartofthehouse，IshallknowforcertainitisMrs。Beauly’sdoor！’

Uponthathecloseshisowndoor，leavingthetiniestlittlechinktolookthrough；putsouthislight；andwaitsandwatchesathistinylittlechink，likeacatatamouse—hole。Thecorridoristheonlyplacehewantstosee；andalampburnsthereallnight。Twelveo’clockstrikes；hehearsthedoorsbelowboltedandlocked，andnothinghappens。Half—pasttwelve——andnothingstill。Thehouseisassilentasthegrave。

Oneo’clock；twoo’clock——samesilence。Half—pasttwo——andsomethinghappensatlast。Dexterhearsasoundcloseby，inthecorridor。Itisthesoundofahandleturningverysoftlyinadoor——intheonlydoorthatcanbeopened，thedoorofMrs。

Beauly’sroom。Dexterdropsnoiselesslyfromhischairontohishands；liesflatonthefloorathischink，andlistens。Hehearsthehandleclosedagain；heseesadarkobjectflitbyhim；hepopshisheadoutofhisdoor，downonthefloorwherenobodywouldthinkoflookingforhim。Andwhatdoeshesee？Mrs。

Beauly！Thereshegoes，withthelongbrowncloakoverhershoulders，whichshewearswhensheisdriving，floatingbehindher。Inamomentmoreshedisappears，pastthefourthbedroom，andturnsatarightangle，intoasecondcorridor，calledtheSouthCorridor。WhatroomsareintheSouthCorridor？Therearethreerooms。Firstroom，thelittlestudy，mentionedinthenurse’sevidence。Secondroom，Mrs。EustaceMacallan’sbedchamber。Thirdroom，herhusband’sbedchamber。WhatdoesMrs。

Beauly（supposedtobewornoutbyfatigue）wantinthatpartofthehouseathalf—pasttwointhemorning？Dexterdecidesonrunningtheriskofbeingseen——andsetsoffonavoyageofdiscovery。Doyouknowhowhegetsfromplacetoplacewithouthischair？Haveyouseenthepoordeformedcreaturehoponhishands？Shallheshowyouhowhedoesit，beforehegoesonwithhisstory？"

Ihastenedtostoptheproposedexhibition。

"Isawyouhoplastnight，"Isaid。"Goon！——praygoonwithyourstory！

"Doyoulikemydramaticstyleofnarrative？"heasked。"AmI

interesting？"

"Indescribablyinteresting，Mr。Dexter。Iameagertohearmore。"

Hesmiledinhighapprovalofhisownabilities。

"Iamequallygoodattheautobiographicalstyle，"hesaid。

"Shallwetrythatnext，bywayofvariety？"

"Anythingyoulike，"Icried，losingallpatiencewithhim，"ifyouwillonlygoon！"