Evening star., 1935-09-29
Magazine Section

trait! 1t was rather fantastic idea,
but it tantalized me, and went up
stairs to the bedroom and brought the
mirror down.
There was certainly strange IT
semblance between the ugly satyr
mask carved on its frame and the
face of the old man that looked down
from the Oil painting. Holding up the
mirror, | looked into it and scanned
the canvas. The face was almost life
like now; it was as if Felix Swinburn
were alive, and leering down over my
shoulder. The evil in those aged eyes
made me shiver. Satyr Mask! A
suitable name for one who had lived
like Felix Swinburn. But so far as
could see, there was nothing to be
learned from the portrait, and took
the mirror upstairs to its place on the
bedroom wall.
After drinking some tea. paced the
dining room floor until it began to
grow dark. was little worried about
the non-appearance of Dunstan. His
Journey to the Inn and back should
not have taken him much more than
a couple of hours. Strolling to the
kitchen where his wife had already
begun to cook the evening meal, |
found her at the window looking
anxiously westward.
mo signs Of Dunstan YETI" asked.
Il hope nothing has happened to-
him. SIR" she faltered.
reassured her by explaining that
one couldn't make rapid progress in
the snow. But as twilight slowly fell, !
was more worried than l cared to
admit.
Behind Falcon Castle, the hillside
rose steeply. On this slope the snow
had not drifted, and climbed quickly
up to a knoll. could follow the path
with my eye to the point where it
dipped into the hollow. but of Dun
stans familiar figure there was no
sign 1t did not take me many minutes
to scramble down the slope to the
house, and it was with curious feeling
of apprehension that / crossed the
courtyard and opened the back door.
Can you see him coming, sir?"
asked Dunstan's wife as went along
the kitchen passage.
I'm afraid not" I said, but he
can't be long now"
Ispoke lightly. but my sense of FORE
boding had deepened I had not been
out of the house more than five min
utes. and it was impossible that any
y thing could have happened during
that time. yet somehow felt uneasy.
1t was now almost dark indoors. and l
was about to light the candles in the
dining room when heard something
that made me jump. The voice of
Dunstan's wife was calling out in
alarm. and she seemed to be beating
on the kitchen door.
hurried along the passage The
q knocking stopped. l was about to
make for the kitchen when imagined
heard a movement in the dining room.
Cropping my way back, peered
around. The fire had burned low, and
the red embers glowed upon the easy
chairs at the hearth. but the rest of
the room was in shadow. And then l
heard footstep behind me- Before
had time to swing around, something
came down with crash on my head,
and the blow sent me to the floor.
fell forward heavily. With fierce
effort. | tried to scramble to my knees;
but a man had flung himself upon me,
and his weight bore me down again.
felt as if all the breath had been
knocked from my body. and was too
dazed to offer much resistance. My
hands were quickly tied behind my
back, and another length of cord was
slipped round my ankles. felt myself
being picked up and carried from the
room.
The man was immensely strong, for
so far as | could make out he was
\ ,ln,,o Tho tpocE;pu had hao,,r, auaiy,