on which I had left it a few hours previously. Of course this distressed me, but I did not betray my uneasiness to my wife. I had at least ca

was an additional comfort to me when I fou

rbed; and at about three o'clock I was wide awake. My wife was sleeping soundly. I rose quietly, thrust m

ht fell upon the specter, "what are you here for? What do you want m

that its eyes never seemed to be closed, as the eyes of other cats are when they are in repose. It appeared to be ever on the watch, but what it was watching for was a sealed mystery to me. In a moment of exasperation I raised

ctions to take a North London train, his stat

ing-room, but when I was leaving the house

with your company?" I ask

carriage with me, and emerged from it at the Canonbury

Bob," I said, "but I can assure you it ha

e asked, following th

t did not come to the theater with me last night, and that it should accompany me now upon this friendly visit to you?" Bob nodded. "I am beginnin

ancies into your head,

come without any active prompting or wish of my

pied being a folding bed, and the washstand he used being inclosed, it did not present the appearance of a bedr

what do you think of Bob's residence, and

tretched itself upon it; I wrested my

e view from the roof; I often smoke for an hour there. You see that door in the corner; it is a closet, with a fixed flight of steps leading to the roof; in case

scarcely r

e gentleman I conversed with is blind. That is the reaso

end of

allen from affluence, not exactly into poverty, but into very poor circumstances. Ronald Elsdale--the name of my nephew--is a tutor; he was not born blind; the affliction came upon him gradually, and was accelerated by over study in his boyish days. Four years ago he could see, and when blindness came upon him he was fortunately a

as easy to perceive that he had a s

I said, "and with such a misfortune hanging

Ronald will never marry unless--but thereby hangs a tale, as S

eable than mine. How is it, Bob, that you have h

two o'clock, so I have had a few hours at my disposal, which have been

pla

ritions," said Bob, pointing

service in my case; the facts themselves were sufficiently strong and stern, and I mentally sc

n, and that I see the specter, now lying on the hearthrug, with my mental and not

is," said Bob, "that all

on the table, and said, "A

eads than ours have occupied years of their l

to sift t

he conclusions they arrive at which it would be difficult,

ible that that phantom should, without previous concert, assume exactly the same form and shape; nor was there any after conspiracy between us as to the manner in which this phantom was to be dressed. Now, my wife has described to me the dress of the girl, the shreds of a cap sticking to her hair, the frock of fa

hy," he

say upon my case; it is an easy way to get out of it, but it does not satisfy

room, and that then he sat down in his chair and waited. Exactly as the clock strikes six the door flies wide open--as the door in Lamb's Terrace did, Ned--and the old woman rushes in and deals him a harder blow than she was in the habit of doing, and down he falls insensible. 'How many times has this occurred?' asks the physician. 'Several times,' is the reply. 'On any one of these occasions,' says the physician, 'have you had a companion with you?' 'No,' the gentleman replies, 'I have been quite alone.' The physician then

d how does the wise physici

n having a tende

say in the account that the door was locked and bolted when the gentleman and the phys

oes not s

rd. Had the door been locked and bolted, and had the old woman appeared without its flying open, the physician could have said to the gentleman, 'You see, the door remains fastened, as we fastened it before

so," sa

hysician's presence, it would have been a sign that some spiritual powe

hould adm

nced by the other--saw the locked door in Lamb's Terrace fly open

y. "You have made me give evi

and Bob calling "Come in," the land

ing up, when I told him you had a friend with you,

d at me i

said; "I should very much like t

me up," said Bob; and

you tell me he has delusions; what he says in our discussion, wh

ald Elsdale en

" said Bob, introducing us.

it might appear, struck me as very singular; the skeleton cat had risen from the