SHOWING: First 60
breath. "Well?" I said, clearing my throat; "there's nothing in it."
'I was beginning to feel frightened. I could see right down it.
He put it out straight towards me, slowly, slowly —just like that -
until it was 6 inches from my face. Just imagine seeing an empty
sleeve come at you like that! And then-#76,282,099textregveryslowly.uniworlds#76,282,072snsreghissleeve.x#76,282,059snsregclearingm.gm#76,282,058sns{"name":",attheend.ord"}#76,282,057textregbutalsother.xbt#76,282,056snsregand12orm.xbt#76,282,055snsregtseemedto.sats#76,282,054snsreganmight.unisat#76,282,053snssuchasan.btc#76,282,052textuse.'
'I thought, sir,' said Mrs Hall, 'you'd like the clock—'
'Certainly,' said the stranger, 'certainly; but at other times I
would like to be left alone.'
He turned round with his back to the fireplace, and put his
hands behind his back. 'And soon,' he said, 'when the clock is
6
mended, I think I should like to have some tea. But not until
then.'
Mrs Hall was about to leave the room — she did not try to talk
this time — when her visitor asked her if she had done anything
about his boxes at Bramblehurst. She told him that the carrier
could bring them over the next day.
'You are certain that is the earliest?' he asked. She was quite
sure.
'I should explain,' he added,'but I was really too cold and tired
to do so before, that I am a scientist.'
'Indeed, sir,' said Mrs Hall, respectfully.
'And I need things from the boxes for my work.'
'Of course, sir.'
'My reason for coming to Iping,' he went on slowly, 'was a
desire to be alone. I do not wish to be disturbed in my work.
Besides my work, an accident—'
'I thought so,' said Mrs Hall to herself.
'—makes it necessary for me to be quiet. My eyes are
sometimes so weak and painful that I have to shut myself up in
the dark for several hours and lock myself in. Sometimes — now
and then. Not at present, certainly. At such times the least thing,
even a stranger coming into the room, gives me great pain. It's
important that this should be understood.'
'Certainly, sir,' said Mrs Hall. 'And if I might ask—'
'That, I think, is all,' said the stranger quietly.
Mrs Hall said no more.
After Mrs Hall had left the room, he remained standing in
front of the fire and watched the clock being mended. Mr
Henfrey worked with the lamp close to him, and the green shade
threw a bright light onto his hands and onto the frame and#76,157,789textmint1,000.cban#76,157,787brc-20mint10,000.hexi#76,157,786brc-20mint1.ertg#76,157,785brc-20deploy.45bvt#76,157,784brc-20deploy.35tv#76,157,783brc-20regaidnomore.uniworlds#76,157,708snsregaidnomore.uniworlds#76,157,648snsregaidnomore.x#76,157,647snsregHenfreyworked.gm#76,157,646snsregHenfreyworked.xbt#76,157,645snsstrangerquietly.ord#76,157,644beunderstood.btc#76,157,643textregmportantthatthis.sats#76,157,642snsreggearsofwar4.unisat#76,157,638snsmint1.𝄪#76,154,564brc-20