Uncanny Tales

mood as he strolled down the High Street after a long and satisfactory

ctorily since. The fortune was proving quite as large as he had expected, and not even an inquest had been hel

always been very good to him. But still, when an old man remains obstinately healthy, when his doctor can say with confidence that he is good for another twenty years at least, and when he stands between you and a large f

eps he had taken had been as judicious as successful. He had set himself to solve a problem in higher mathem

out his projects. He would be able to publish at once his great work on "The Secondary Variation of the Differential Calculus," that hitherto had languished in manuscript. It would make a sensation, he thought; there was more than one generally accepted theory he had challenged or contradicted in it.

oney would provide for this great work. He wished greatly the

e saw him, too, and beamed. She and her husband were more than a little proud of having so well known a man in their co

ed, distressed, as she saw him raise

l drop of blood showed distinctly against the firm, pink flesh. Surprised, the Professor took out

t-it startled me somehow. I thought you mus

suppose," he said

and then parted. The Professor took an opportunity to look at his hand. He could detect no sign of any cut or abrasion, the skin seemed whole eve

put the handkerchief back

about the incident till, as it happened that day month, the first of the month by the calendar, wh

e said slowly, "your book will mark an epoch in

r calmly. "I am fully prepared to spend twice as much. You know

gue nodded and loo

mly, "magnificent." He added: "Y

he Professor ec

olleague, "there is blood upo

, and went on talking eagerly, for he was deeply interested. He did not think of the matter again till just as he was getting into bed, when he noticed a red stain

d!" he m

wall reminded him that it

per. There was a certain theory he had worked on the night before he meant to write to a friend about. It seemed to him his demonstratio

cream, he rang the bell. The maid appeared, he showed her the empty jug, and as she took it she

our hand-there is b

before. The Professor stared at it stupidly. He was sure it had not been there a moment before, and h

up the pieces of the jug she had broken; but the Professor had no further appetite for his breakfast. He silen

it. There was nothing to account for the presence of the drop of blood he and the maid had seen. It occurred to him that

He had not taken his nerves into consideration for the simple reason that he had never known that he possessed any. H

ffect that climbing was good sport and a fine test for the nerves. The head guide agreed, and added politely that if the nerves of monsieur the Professor had shown signs of failing on the lower glacier, for example, they might all have be

nterest, and when he woke on the morning of the first day of the next

l, but more confident; and, after dinner, though he had meant to go straight to his room, he agreed to join in a suggested game of bridge. T

our hand," she cried, "on

those other three had been. Yet the very moment before it had not been there. The Pr

and was not surprised to find beneath no sign or trace of any cut or wound. The cotton-wool he made up c

n he got out pen and paper and set himself to solve th

d somehow as though the

per in front of him a large X,

d, shook so that he could no longer hold his pen. He rang the bell again and ordered a stiff whisky

d he sleep

e he went to see his friend, the analytical chemis

e chemist, "probably human-rathe

t?" asked t

cillus--" He named the rare bacillus of an unusual and obscure disease

rred, when the hair of his head underwent a curious involuntary stiffening and bristling process that in popular but sufficie

well, and his friend, the chemist, agreed that his holida

od volumes on mathematics, the theory of mathematics, the study of mathematics, pure mathematics, applied mathematics. But there was not any one of these

d wrote a large X upon the sh

y!" he muttered. "A

e Professor developed an odd trick of continually glancing at his right ha

time past. He told her he would probably spend the next day in bed for a thorough rest, and she agreed that that would be a very good idea. When he was in h

shall now show,"

othing and his eyes were strangely bright and feverish. She overheard him once muttering something

nt, agreed, but sent for the doctor all the same; and when he had come the Professor felt he could not refuse to see him without appearing peculiar. And he di

?" the doctor asked, not

y-a trifle," the

nswered, "I see the

e Professo

pon your hand," t

upon the bandages in which he had swathed his hand. Yet he knew t

quickly, hiding his han

er him. It seemed she had heard a fall, and when she had gone into the Professor's bedroom she had found him lyi

n away from the dead man's hand and that oddly enough there seemed to be on the hand no sign of any cut or wound. There was a large solitary drop of

ood with his forefinger. The doctor mentioned this at the inquest-the coroner had decided at once that in this case an inquest was certainly ne

short address to the jury adduced the incid

rried him, and that he was still endeavouring to work out. As you are

ssor was duly interred in the same family vault as that in whi