Brood of the Witch-Queen

iccadilly, when he stopped, staring hard at a taxi-cab which had slowed down upon

he glanced out, apparently towards the very doorway in which he stood. Perhaps his imagination was

quesne

ment and entered the hall-way. Cairn stepped

ied. "Why! have you

ed, and paused, at

ra Duquesne had known one another from childhood; that the

him about," she said. "He seems to know ever

ess; but the tragic death of her guardian, Sir Michael Ferrara, had been a dreadful blow to this convent-bred girl who had no other kin in the world. A longing swept into Cairn's heart and

rms against the bare idea of this girl's entering that perfumed place where abominable and v

of childish glee momentarily lighti

answered

little while, then you can come home to lunch-you a

tradictorily, knowing what he did he could not face him again, could not submit hi

all find myself enrolled amongst the seekers of soup-tickets

a shame!"

passed between them; so that for the first time a pretty col

holding out her hand. "Will

irn. "Rather-if it's humanly

visiting Ferrara. Would he approve? Decidedly the situation was a delicate one; the wrong kind of interference-the tactless kind-might merely render it worse. It would be awfully difficult, if not impos

mitted her to ente

o question her movements. But, at l

ed-"what a horrible tang

accordingly; until, at about midday, he rang up Myra Duquesne, on the pretence of accepting her i

' clerks and others poured under the archway leading to the court; but in the far corner shaded by the tall plane tree, where the ascending steps and worn iron railing, the small panes of glass in the solicit

mpression that someone was waiting for him, inside his chambers. The sufficiently palpable fact-that such a thing was impossible-did not really

uttered; then, "Phew! th

dour-a fusty one as of something decaying-and by the time that he had changed, it was scarcely perceptible. He had little time to waste in speculation, b

ce is it!" he

ck. As one might have anticipated, there w

cay rising to his nostril, Cairn found something fearsome. He opened t

airn followed his father into the library and sat down in the big, red leathern easy-chair. The doctor tilted the lamp shade, direc

ble, Rob? Have a

helped hims

and tell me what h

in the act of reaching for a match. "Y

moment. Yo

ying that-well, how can I put it? When I took up newspaper

tain

ghted end of his cigar-"there was no rea

el

stant companionship. Especially I feel that it would b

ard in his chair. Hi

gers," he said, "e

. The open hand showed in the la

uite in o

inhaled a

me," h

now what they would say. But you will understand. It started this afternoon, when the sun was pouring in throu

ther s

mell?" he asked

ou would ask that. It was a smell of something putrid-

ace where i

ng out, it returned; it seemed to envelop me like a filthy miasma. You know, sir, it's hard t

n to pace about the room, h

ed suddenly, "what

t I was not thinking of it when I unlocked the door. In fact I didn't begin to think of it again until, in slippers and dressing-gown, I had settled down for a comfortable read. There was nothing, absolutely no

he fireplace flicked off the long cone of grey ash from his ciga

n. At the moment nothing was farther from my mind, and I jumped up with an exclamation of disgust. It seemed to be growing stronger and stron

ead out, in order to learn if the odour came from outside. It did not. The air outside the window was fresh and clean. Then I remembered that when I had le

glancing at

all about me like the fumes from a crater. By God, sir!

hadows beyond the big table, as he came

to me. I went back to my room. The odour was not so pronounced, but as I stood by the table, waiting, it increased, and increased, until it almost choked me. My nerves were playing tricks, but I kept a f

ttempt to expel the invader, and though of itself it was u

by the lamp, I detected-darker patches. For awhile I tried to believe that they were imaginary, but when I saw one move along the bookcase, glide down its side, and come across the carpet, towards me, I knew that they were not. Before heaven, sir"-his voice shook-"either I am mad,

Dr. Cairn stood still, as

ss, very faintl

Street; its throb died away. A clock was chimi

hing

it with a sort of repugnance-"something hairy-and indescribably loathsome-touched it; just brushed against it. But it was too much. I'm ashamed to tell you, sir; I

ws on the mantel-piece, and

"You called on Antony Ferrara to-day

to tell you," continued Robert, squirting s

o his ch

es

an to pace th

aught to regard him in the light of a brother. But nevert

ng Ferrara's chambers with a minute exactness which revealed how deep

led over it at Oxford, and others did, too; I came against it to-day. Who is Ant

!" cried

oking at his fathe

therefore, since she inherits half of Sir Michael's fortune, a certain course must have suggested itself to Anton

d briar from the table

nued slowly, "there can be no questi

ha

vidently localised. There are laws governing these things; laws as immutable as any other laws in Nature. One of them is this: the powers of darkness (to employ a conventi

you mea

I suspect, however, that a purely mental effort will be sufficient to disperse these nauseous shadow-things. Probably you will not be troubled again to-night, but whenever the phenomena return, take off your coat to them! You require no better companion than the one you had:-Mark Twain! Treat your visitors as one might imagine he would have treated them; as a very

ive,

ns shall be the last. Good-night. Remember, you have only to l

r, lighted it, finished his whi

e said. "I shan't ru

he had sent his son out to face, alone, a real and dreadful danger. Only thus could he hope to save him, but nevertheless it had been h

e Egyptians, and perhaps even earlier peoples, ordered their lives, we share this, our plane of existence, with certain other creatures, often called Eleme

pen that finer, latent power of vision; and the horrors which surround them are

upon Robert Cairn's consciousness by a directing, malignant intelligence. On the other hand they might be me

ed by the ringing of the 'phon

ul

l's clear here, no

ht, Rob. Ring me

night,

ing of the late Sir Michael Ferrara, his travelling companion through many strange adventures; and the sun had been flooding the library with dimmed golden light for several hours, and a bus

you,

l, thank God! Can I

glanced at his watch. "Why, u