The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare

some reason in a condition of curious hilarity. His spirits were already unnaturally high; they rose as the Saumur sank, and in half an hour his talk was a torrent of no

th questions and answers, and was delivered

Saint Eustache, I believe.' He will say, 'The celebrated Mr. Syme, I presume.' He will say in the mo

ull yourself together, and chuck away that bi

it you. It has only forty-three questions and answers, and some of the

of it all?" asked Dr.

," said Syme, beaming. "When the Marquis ha

city, "that the Marquis may not say all the forty-three things you have put down for

e table with a

ver thought of it. Sir, you have an intelle

runk as an owl!"

ince the course of a dialogue cannot be predicted by one of its parties alone (as you have pointed out with such recondite acumen), the only thing to be done, I suppose, is f

frock-coats and silk hats, one of them with the red rosette of the Legion of Honour, evidently people of a solid social position. Besides these black, cylindrical costumes, the Marquis, in his loose straw hat and light spring clothes, looked Bohemian and even barbaric; but he looked the Marquis. Indeed, one might say that he looked the king, with his animal elegance, his scornful eyes, and h

asked the Professor peevishly, seeing

s last glass of

anions, "that meeting. That meeting displeases me. I am goin

y. The Marquis, seeing him, arched his black As

Syme, I thi

e b

nt Eustache," he said gracefull

d backwards, upsetting his chair, and the two

me!" said Syme, with

the gentleman with t

Syme recklessly. "H

r!" exclaimed the ge

id Syme, conceding

st now?" said the second gentleman with some legiti

at he said!" s

s, "except something about the band. I o

ly. "My aunt played Wagner badly. It was a painfu

aid the gentleman who was decore,

whole of your conversation was simply packed w

or one have said nothing for half an hour except th

in!" said Syme indignant

, "that you are simply seeking a

ng round and looking at him,

d up with eyes fla

ere was never a man who had to seek long. These gentlemen will perhaps act

a quite beauti

ame and blood. Permit me to consult for a moment wit

and listened to his idiotic explanations, were quite startled at the look of him. For now that he came

ris. If he misses that he misses his crime. He can't refuse to meet you on such a small point of time and place. But this is what he will do. He will choose a field somewhere near a wayside station, where he can pick up the train. He is a very good swordsman, and he will trust to killing me in time to catch it. But I can fence well too, and I think I ca

of his character. They were (as he said of his impulse about the spectacle

e realised that an obstacle had suddenly arisen between him and his bomb-throwing business in the capital. Naturally he could not explain this objection to his friends, so he

is pockets, his straw hat on the back of his head, his handsome face brazen in the sun. But it might have struck a stranger as odd that ther

s vaguely surprised to see so many spring flowers burning gold and silv

church parade of apparel and the rich and glistening meadow, growing wild flowers everywhere. But, indeed, this comic contrast between the yellow blossoms and the black hats was but a symbol of the tragic contrast between the yellow blossoms and the black business. On his right was a little wood; f

roix, approached the Professor and Dr. Bull with great politeness, and s

nch, that it should continue until one of the combatants was disabled. Syme had made up his mind that he could avoid disabling the M

matter of indifference which method is adopted, and our principal has strong reasons for demanding the longer encounte

suddenly darkened, "let us stop talking and begin," and

looked over his shoulder to see whether the train was

and turned to two streaks of white fire. He offered one to the Marquis, who snatched it without ceremony,

ades, and taking one himself and giving anot

each side of the line of fight with drawn swords also, but still sombre in their dark frock-coats and h

the fear of the airless vacuum of science. The first was the old fear that any miracle might happen, the second the more hopeless modern fear that no miracle can ever happen. But he saw that these fears were fancies, for he found himself in the presence of the great fact of the fear of death, with its coarse and pitiless common sense. He felt like a man who had dreamed

od fresh flowers were springing up and breaking into blossom in the meadow-flowers blood red and burning gold and blue, fulfilling the whole pageant of the spring. And whenever his eyes strayed for a flash from the calm, staring, hypno

f which he had hardly supposed himself capable. Once his enemy's point ran along his wrist, leaving a slight streak of blood, but it either was not noticed or was tacitly ignored. Every now and then

e transfigured to that of a fiend, and began to fight as if with twenty weapons. The attack came so fast and furious, that the one shining sword seemed a shower of shining

r out of the fighting circle; and the third time his riposte was so rapid, that there was no doubt about t

ck his spade into the ground. Yet the Marquis sprang back from the stroke without a stagger,

age. He fought wildly and even weakly, and he constantly looked away at the railway line, almost as if he feared the train more than the pointed steel. Syme, on the other hand, fought fiercely but still carefully, in an intellectual fury, eager to solve the riddle of his own bloodless sword. For this

n sword been driven into him and made no mark. When Syme had that thought he drew himself up, and all that was good in him sang high up in the air as a high wind sings in the trees. He thought of all the human things in his story-of the Chinese lanterns in Saffron Park, of the girl's red hair in the garden, of the honest, beer-swilling sailors down by the dock, of his loyal companions sta

e people putting up the floral arches in Paris; he joined in the growing noise and the glory of the great Republic whose gate he was guarding against He

word reach and threw down his sword. The leap was wonderful, and not the less wo

ce that compelled a momentary obe

Colonel Ducroix, staring.

ho was a little pale. "Our principal has wounded the M

hand with a curious a

"we are fighting today, if I remember right, because you expressed a wish (which I thought irrational) to

s most irregular," sai

e is, I think, one case on record (Captain Bellegarde and the Baron Zumpt) in which the weapons were changed in

have no conception of how important it is to me. Don't be so selfish! Pull my nose at once, when I ask you!" and he bent slightly fo

ave lifted to heaven was just toppling over. Walking in a world he half understood, he took two paces forw

d proboscis still between his fingers, looking at it, while the sun an

he silence in a lou

he kind of thing that might come in useful any day," and he gravely tore off one of his swarthy Assyrian brows, bringing

, "that I was acting for a polt

himself right and left about the field. "You are making a mistake; but it c

ll go out of the station. It shall go out without

s a strange scarecrow standing there in the sun with half his old face

me mad?" he cr

train," said Syme firml

and seemed to be gathering itself f

inless, Godforsaken, doddering, damned fool!" he said without ta

o by this train,

," roared the other, "should

essor sternly. "You are goin

erwock!" cried the other, tearing

se what I am? Did you really think I wanted to catch that trai

u care about?" be

ching the train; I cared about whether the trai

of your original forehead and some portion of what was once your chin, your meaning would become clearer. Mental lucidity fulfils itself in many

, "and the end of everything. Sunday

ssor, as if stupefied. "

d the Marquis, and tore off

ed, smooth-haired head which is common in the Eng

pretty well known to the police, and I can see well enough that you belong to them. But if there

or gave a t

d wearily; "we've got enough o

good taste. Here he certainly saved the situation. In the midst of this staggering transformation scene he ste

We are not buffoons, but very desperate men at war with a vast conspiracy. A secret society of anarchists is hunting us like hares; not such unfortunate madmen as may here or there throw a bomb through starvation or German philosophy, but a rich and powerful and fana

s, a short man with a black mous

ing! The sight of an acquaintance and distinguished fellow-townsman coming to pieces in the open air is unusual, and, upon the whole, sufficient for one day. Colone

ly, but then tugged abruptly at

h a lot of low wreckers like that, I'll see them through it. I have

t and waved it, cheering

e," said Inspector Ratcli

d Bull, and dr

Ratcliffe, "he m

om?" ask

out of that train

an who sees an explosion a long way off, "by God! if this is true the whole bally lot of us on the Anarchist Council w

ught every trust, he has captured every cable, he has control of every railway line-especially of that railway line!" and he pointed a shaking finger towards the small wayside station. "The whole movement was controlled by him; half the world was ready to rise for him. But there were just five people, perhaps, who would have resisted him... and the old devil put them on the Supreme Council, to

yme with a sort

ude. He has probably captured the world; it only remains to him to capture this field and all the fools in it. And since you really want to know wh

ff station. It was quite true that a considerable bulk of people seemed to be mov

the President or the Secretary is coming after us with that mob. They have caught us in a nice quiet place where we are under no temptations to break o

or, who immediately took off his specta

, somewhat shaken. "There are a good number of them

ith the fieldglasses to his eyes, "we

e of the leaders in front wore black half-masks almost down to their mouths. This disguise is very complete, especially at such a distance, and Syme found it impossible t