Evening star., 1917-09-30

to rise from the court and no cooling
breeze entered my opened windows.
The clamor of the triffic on Fleet street
came to me but remotely. Big Ben be-
gan to strike midnight. So far as I
could see, residents on the other stairs
were all abed and a velvet shadow car
pet lay unbroken across three parts of
the court.
The last stroke of the cathedral bell
died away. Other more distant bells
still were sounding dimly, but. save for
the ceaseless hum of the traffic, no un-
usual sound now disturbed the archaic
peace of the court.
I returned to my table. for during the
time that had passed 1 had badly ne
elected my work and now must often
labor far into the night. I was just
reseated when there came a very soft
rapping at the outer door!
1 stole quietly into the passage. I
was in darkness. How odd 1t Is that in
shuns the dark and seeks the light. l
pressed the switch lighting the hall
lamp and stood looking at the closed
door.
Why should this late visitor have
raped in SO uncanny a fashion in
preference to ringing the bell?
1 stepped back to my table and slipped
revolver into my pocket.
The mufhed rapping was repeated. As
I stood in the study doorway I saw the
Instantly I extinguished both lights.
A family luminous slit in the door
showed me that the nap was now fully
raised. Then quite silently the hap was
lowered. Came the soft rapping again.
who's thereT I cried.
No one answered.
The silence remained unbroken for
thirty seconds or moro. Then again
1T was disturbed by that ghostly. muf
fed rapping.
| advanced a step nearer to the door,
Who's there?" 1 cried loudly
what do you want?"
The flap of the letter box began to
move, and l formed a sudden deter
mination. Making no sound in my
heelless Turkish slippers, crept close
up to the door and dropped upon my
knees.
Thereupon the flap became fully lift
ed. but from where I crouched beneath
it 1 was unable to see who or what
was looking in, yet I hesitated no
longer. l suddenly raised myself and
thrust the revolver barrel through the
opening.
who are you?" I cried Answer or
] fire.'-and along the barrel l peered
on to the landing.
Still no one answered But some
thing impalpable-a powder-a vapor-
to this hour | do not know what-en-
veloped me with its nauseating fumes !;
was puffed fully into my face! My eyes.
my mouth. my nostrls became choked
up with a deathly. sitting perfume.
Wildly. feeling that everything about
me was slipping away. that l was sink
ing into void-for aught knew that
of dissolution-I pulled the trigger
once. twice, thrice
My God"'-the words choked in my
throat and | rceled back to the passage,
Its not loaded
l threw up my arms to save myself.
1urched. and fell forward into what
seemed bottomless pit.
=
conviction that I dreamed I lay upon
cushioned divan in small apartment
which I find difficult adequately to de-
scribe.
being hung with yellow silk. its floor
entirely covered by Il yellow Persian
carpet. One lamp. burning in n frame
of some lemon-coior"d wood and hav-
ing it's openings filed with green glass,
flooded the place with CHASTITY illu-
mination. The lamp hung by gold
chains from the ceiling, which was
yellow. Several low tables of the
same lemon -hued wood as the lamp
frame stood around; they were inlaid
in fanciful designs with cleaning
green stones.
There was a niche framed about with
yellow wood. behind the divan upon
which I lay In it stood a golden bowl
and a tall pot of yellow porcelain; lay
amid yellow cushions having golden
tassels. Some of them were figured
with VlVld green devices.
To contemplate my surroundings as
suredly must be to court madness. No
door was visible. no window; nothing
but silk and luxury, yellow and green
and gold.
To crown all, the air was heavy with
perfume wholly unmistakable by one
acquainted with Egypt's ruling vice. 1t
was the reek of smoldering hashish-
stencil that seemed to take me by
the throat, a vapor. damnable and un-
clean. saw that a little censer,