The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-02-01

the gigantic shadow of the investigator
Flambeau fell across the table. Father
Brown presented him to the lady in his
own slight. persuasive style of speeches,
mentioning his knowledge and sympa-
thy in such cases: and. almost without
knowing it. the girl was soon reiter-
ating her story to two listeners. But
flambeau, as he bowed and sat down,
handed the priest small slip of paper,
Brown accepted if with some surprise,
and read OH it: Cab 10 Wagga Wagga,
so Mafeking Avenue, Putney." The
girl was going on with her story:
I went up the steep street to nv
own house with my head in a whirl. 1t
had not begun to clear when i came
10 the doorstep. on which found a
milk can-and the man with the twisted
nose. The milk can told me the serv-
ants were all out. Thus there was no
one TO help me in the house, except my
brother. whose help must be my ruin.
In desperation, ! thrust two shillings
into the horrid things hand. and told
him TO call again in a few days, when
| had thought it out. He went of sulk-
ing. but more sheepishly than | had ex-
pccted: perhaps he had been shaken
BY his fall
Then let myself i'll. made myself
some tea. and tried to think it out. sat
at the drawing-room window looking
on to the garden. But i was too dis
tracted and dreamy 10 look at the lawns
with any concentration, so | took the
shock the more sharply because Id
seen it so slowly.
The man or monster Id sent away
was standing quite still in the middle
OF the garden. He stood with his face
toward me; and | can't tell you how
horrid he looked among the tulips and
all those tall gaudy flowers. 1t looked
as if we'd stuck up waxwork instead
of statue in the center OF our garden.
Yet. almost the instant he saw me
move in the window. he turned and
ran out of the garden by the back gar
den gate. which stood open and by
which he had undoubtedly entered. This
renewed timidity on his part was so
different from the impudcncc with
which he had walked into the sea that
felt vaguely comforted fancied.
perhaps. that he feared confronting Ar
thur more than knew. Anyhow,
settled down at last. and had a quiet
dinner alone (for il was against the
rules to disturb Arthur when he was
rearrsnging the museum), and was
looking blankly. but rather pleasantly
than otherwise, at another window, I'M
curtained, but by tins time black as
slate with the final nishtfall. 1t seemed
to me that something like a snail was
on the outside of the window pane.
But. when | started harder, It was more
like mans thumb pressed on the
pane: it had that curled look that a
thumb has. With my fear and courage
reawakened together, | rushed at the
window. and then rccoiled, with a
strangled scream that any man but Ar
thrr must have heard.
For it was not a thumb any more
than it was snail. 1t was the tip OF
a crooked nose crushed against the
glass. 1t looked white with the pres
sure; and the staring face and eyes be-
hind il were at first invisible and after
ward gray like ghost. | slammed the
shutters together somehow. rushed up
to my room. and locked myself in. But.
even as | passed. could almost swear
! saw a second black window with
something on it that was like snail.
1T might be best to go 10 Arthur,
after all. II the thing was crawling
close all round the house like a cat, it
might have purposes worse even than
blackmail. My brother might cast me
out and curse ME forever; but he was
gentleman and would defend me on
the spot. After ten minutes curious
thinking, | went down. knocked at the
door, and then went into see the last
and worst sight
My brothers chair was empty. and
he was obviously out. But the man
with the crooked nose was sitting wait
ing for his returI.. with his hat still
insolently on his head. and actually
reading one OF my brothers books I'M
der my brothers lamp. His face was
composed and occupied, but his nose
tip still had the air OF being the most
mobile part of his face, as if it had
just turned from left to right, like an
elephants proboscis. ! had thought
him poisonous enough while he was
pursuing and watching me; but think
his Inconsistencies OF my presence was
more frightful still.
Il think | screamed loud and long /
but that doesn't matter. What | did
next does matter; | gave him all the
money | had, including a good deal IN
paper which, though it was mine,
dare say | had no right to touch lie
went off at last with hateful. tacttul
regrets, all in long words: and | sat
down. feeling ruined in every sense. J;
And yet. | was saved that very night
by pure accident Arthur had gone
off suddenly to London, as he so often
did, for bargains; and returned, late,
but radiant, having nearly secured a
treasure that was an added splendor |