The Combined Maze

rrace, and went home along the High Stree

Low and square-towered, couchant in the moonlight behind its railin

ad run Winny to earth and caught her. The Paris

torches. On either side was a twisted and jagged line of houses-brown-brick, flat-fronted, eighteenth-century houses, and houses with painted fronts. Here a tall, red-brick modern Parade shot up the gables of its insolent facade. There, oldest of all, a yellow house stooped forward on the posts that propped it. Somewhe

living as he did in Wandsworth High Street w

e two sleepy eyes under drooping lids. A narrow slip of a house, it stood a foot or two back between the wine merchant's and John Randall the draper's shop, and had the air of being squeezed out of existence by them. Yet the name of Fulleymore Ransome, in gold letters on a black ground, and with Pharmaceutical Chemist under it in a scroll, more than held its own beside

and tilted at the bottom corner, it suffered a vague glimpse of objects that from h

that he was not what you might call a free man. For his father's house had no door except the shop door, and it was the peculiarity of that shop doo

tiously on the chain and somebod

s slipped, a

objects appeared as confused and disconnected patches. The darkness effaced every object in the shop that was not white, with the queer effect that rows upon rows

Mercier?" said

sn't he

ther. "And your fathe

without the smallest, most shadowy reference to its essential nature. For Ranny's mother, such reference would have been the last profanity, a sacrilege committed against the div

han ever, Ranny drew in his lips for a whistle; but

bad ones," said

rted themselves and the labels on the white jars gave out their secret gold. On one of these labels, Hydrarg. Amm.

s face showed that

of the same tender texture as her face, a face that was once one wide-open, innocent pink flower. Now it was washed out and burnt with the courses of her tears. Worry had fretted her soft forehead into lines and twisted her eyebrows in an expression as of permanent surprise at lif

n the knob of the l

dispensin'-ro

d slightly, compelled by something pre

me is he pla

other's face, as if it pleased he

her words to let it sink into him. "Makin' it

e was impressed by the

r could be trusted to dispense at a moment's notice. But the drug strophanthus, prescribed for old Mr. Beesley, was not one of them. It was tricky stuff. He k

ht," said Ranny's mother. "As for makin' up prescriptions, suff

near as sh

rse he

o keep it u

er felt that she

to be in

ought," said R

if it wasn't fo

it was not his father but Mercie

u'll go to

etter wait f

s mixture was a c

ly that y'r father'll have him interferin' with him. The

fear lest Mercier should find Mr. Ransome out. As if Mercier had not found him o

ght, I'

op, and down a short and exceedingly narrow passage,

her a porcelain sink fitted with taps and sprays for hot and cold water. From the far end of the room where the stove was came a smothered roar of gas flames. On the broken inner wall were shelves fitted with drawers of all sizes, each with its label, and above them other shelves with row afte

illuminated with gas that

more frightful grossness and pungency to its smell. Dying asafetida struggled still

dness and its ring of iron-gray hair; on his sallow, sickly face; on his little long, peaked nose with its peevish nostrils; even o

physical unfitness. Under his gaze the pitiful and insign

solemnity. Now, as if challenged and challenging, he drew the smaller measuring-glass toward him with one hand. He held it to the light and moved his finger nail slowly along the middle measuring line. Then with two hands that trembled he poured into it a part

always with the same solemn intentness

with the dignity of a man overmas

You would have said it was his son Ran

himself very gently of the measuring-glass and bottle.

t is

icarb., and spirits of chloroform

O!" sai

ray eyes were fixed on him

ch?" sa

ansome's head was st

oured t

ces," said Mr. Ransome, disjointe

rawn, subtle corners of Ranny's eyes and mouth were lifted in that irrepressible smile of his, while Mr. Ransome asserted his pharmaceutical dignity by acrimonious co

ound under the gaslight, laid it down, and dismissed it with a flick a

watched the master's superb and solitary ascent to his bedroom on the first fl

mming-bird. A

, Ranny," she said, "you shouldn't sp

d him for it,