Griggs courier., 1898-09-15
meeting broke mp and Peel antl ls,ars.
Cd out on our weary way - Waaae
worth. s


broke mp and Peel ant&l stars.
Cd out on our weary way ae yFaaao
worth. @
Il u.
For the next three days moth
lug Of Kovno or the others, ~ we were
both hard at workiat the art school.
On Saturday. however, my weekly al
lowaace having arrived, I made mp my
mind to 60 down TO the country for
q few days and make some studies.
Peel couldn't come, 40 Dora was sit-
ting to him on Monday. So, while he
started OF to the art school as usual
in the morning, sauntered out to in.
vest in q sletchbook. On my way back
I met Kovno. / had clean forgotten
all about the wager, and, having an
hour CT so to spare, I walked back with
him TO his studio. He was In con.
versational mood, and kept chatter.
ing on about some wonderful master.
riece he was starting on.
When we got to the studio great
big barrack of . place, which had once
been used by q sculptor, and stood In q
kttle isolated plot Of ground back
from the road-he produced some
whisky and glasses, bade me help my.
self, rolled q cigarette, and started
work. It was q very hot day, and
had been working late at black-and,
white work the night before. I Ileaned
back drowsily in q rickety old chair
and watched him rapidly sketching in
his picture on large canvas. lit my
pipe, and took long pull at my
whisky and water. After that sup.
pose went to sleep II found out after.
ward that the whisky had been doc
tored). Anyhow, the next thing re-
member is waking up with horrible
shooting pain running through all my
limbs. It was pitch dark. tried to
move and stretch myself. I couldn't
bulge an inch in any direction. Iwas
securely bound hand and foot. In an
instant the truth flashed upon me.
Kovno had heard Of my intended jaunt
to the country, had lain in wait for
me. and deliberately lured me to the
studio. What he had done then beyond
drugging me, or where I was, I had not
the faintest idea. was at the same
time immensely relieved and distinct
ly annoyed--relieved to remember that
it was only joke, annoyed to think
of the simple way in which had been
taken in.
Hours passed, and the pain Of ropes
cutting into me was intolcrable. !
began to get furiously angry-Kovno
was carrying the thing too far. ]
shouted and yelled till I was Aoarse,
and stamped my bound feet against
the wall, to which i had rolled in my
struggles. The air was close and
sitting. and there was foetid, earthly
smell about it. 1 began to lose my
nerve. I tried to count, to reckon the
time-anything to distract my atten-
ton; but to no purpose. At last, utter.
ly worn out and exhausted, 1 lost con-
sciousness again.
The next thing remembered was o
faint glimmer of light and Kovno
bending over me. He was laughing si-
lently, and his eyes glittsred weirdly in
the uncertain light. Icursed him furi-
ously in no measured terms, but as he
only continued to chuckle to himself in
that hateful, silent manner, / got
more and more alarmed. implored
him to undo the ropes, I promised to
sign any paper he liked, and to confess
that he had won his bet, but not a
word would he answer. He merely
bent down, and, holding the light
nearer to me, gloated over my helpless
condition.
His face was all distorted by the
dancing shadows, and his eyes cleaned
in a perfectly detestable manner.
Suddenly the awful, horrible truth
dav7ned upon me. He had gone mad!
His mind, always of a morbid turn, had
been unable to Withstand the iasc. na-
tions of putting his theories into prac-
tice. The lust Of secret crime haG got
;,old of him, and the man was to all IT,
tents and purposes raving lunatic.
AS soon as recognized this my lasa
yestige of self-control left me, bab-
bled at him incoherently, begged.
prayed, laughed at him, but all In
vain. After standing looking at me in
SbASuCc lOI n SuOEC time, anu eylDCl0g
Il keen delight in my mental agony. he
turned and left me without q word.
Hunger aud thirst soon added to my
tortures. Then the earthly smell Of
she place, and the absolute biackness
and silence. must have made me delir-
ious. I remember nothing more dis
tincrly-savs one thing. too horrible
almost to mention. In one of my more
lucid intervals I became aware of
Kovno sitting u! a little sketch.ng
easel. light beside him, calmly and
rapidly making sketches oi my dis
torted features, muttering ano laugh.
ing to himself the while.
It was only after weeks of delirium
that came to myself and found Dora
sitting beside me in my own attic III
Wandsworth, and 1t was from her that
learned the manner Of my escape.
My absence, it appears. was not no
ticed TOR the first three,days, and was
supposed to be in the country.
Then Peel got alarmed, and he and