Idismissedtheungenerousthought。Perhapsheisrich，ashesays。Wedohearofmunificentdonationsbybenevolentmillionairesnowandthen。WhatifthisAustralian，attractedbythegloriesoftheoldcathedral，shouldnowappearasadeusexmachinatoreendowthechoir，ortofoundamusicalprofessoriateinconnectionwiththechoir，appointingmethefirstoccupantoftheprofessorialchair？
Thesethoughtsflashedacrossmymindinthemomentarypauseofhisfluenttongue。
“Asforyourself，sir，“hebeganagain，“IhavesomethingtoproposewhichItrustmaynotproveunwelcome。Butthepublicstreetishardlyasuitableplacetodiscussmyproposal。MayI
calluponyouthiseveningatyourhouseintheclose？Iknowwhichitis，forIhappenedtoseeyougointoityesterdayafterthemorningservice。”
“Ishallbeverypleasedtoseeyou，“Ireplied。“Wearegoingouttodinnerthisevening，butIshallbeathomeanddisengagedtillaboutseven。”
“Thankyouverymuch。ThenIshalldomyselfthepleasureofcallinguponyouaboutsixo”clock。Tillthen，farewell！“A
gracefulwaveofthehand，andmyunknownfriendhaddisappearedroundthecornerofthestreet。
Nowatlast，Ithought，somethingisgoingtohappeninmyuneventfullife——somethingtobreakthemonotonyofexistence。Ofcourse，hemusthaveinquiredmyname——hecouldgetthatfromanyofthecathedralvergers——and，ashesaid，hehadobservedwhereaboutsinthecloseIlived。Whatishecomingtoseemefor？
Iwondered。Ispenttherestoftheafternooninmakingthewildestsurmises。Iwascastle-buildinginSpainatafuriousrate。AtonetimeIimaginedthatthisfaithfulsonofthechurch——
asheappearedtome——wasgoingtobuildandendowagrandcathedralinAustraliaonconditionthatIshouldbeappointeddeanatayearlystipendof，say，tenthousandpounds。Orperhaps，I
saidtomyself，hewillbegmetoacceptasumofmoney——Ineverthoughtofitaslessthanathousandpounds——asaslightrecognitionofandtributetomyremarkablevocalability。
Itookalong，lonelywalkintothecountrytocorrecttheseridiculousfanciesandtosteadymymind，andwhenIreachedhomeandhadrefreshedmyselfwithaquietcupofafternoontea，IfeltIwasmorallyandphysicallypreparedformyinterviewwiththeopulentstranger。
Punctuallyasthecathedralclockstrucksixtherewasaringatthevisitor”sbell。Inamomentortwomyunknownfriendwasshownintothedrawing-room，whichheenteredwiththeeasyairofamanoftheworld。Inoticedhewascarryingasmallblackbag。
“Howdoyoudoagain，Mr。Dale？“hesaidasthoughwewereoldacquaintances；“youseeIhavecomesharptomytime。”
“Yes，“Ianswered，“andIampleasedtoseeyou；dositdown。”Hesankintomybestarmchair，andplacedhisbagonthefloorbesidehim。
“Sincewemetintheafternoon，“hesaid，“Ihavewrittenalettertoyourdean，expressingthegreatpleasureIfeltinlisteningtoyourchoir，andatthesametimeIinclosedafive-poundnote，whichIbeggedhimtodivideamongthechoirboysandmen，fromAlexanderPoulter，Esq。，ofPoulter”sPills。Youhaveofcourseheardoftheworld-renownedPoulter”sPills。IamPoulter！“
PoulterofPoulter”sPills！Myheartsankwithinme！Afive-poundnote！Myairycastlesweretottering！
“Ialsosenthimacoupleofhundredofmypamphlets，whichIsaidItrustedhewouldbesokindastodistributeintheclose。”
Iwasaghast！
“Andnow，withregardtothespecialobjectofmycall，Mr。Dale。
Ifyouwillallowmetosayso，youarenotmakingthemostofthatgrandvoiceofyours；youarehiddenunderanecclesiasticalbushelhere——losttotheworld。Youarewastingyourvocalstrengthandsweetnessonthedesertair，sotospeak。Why，ifImayhazardaguess，Idon”tsupposeyoumakefivehundredayearhere，attheoutside？
Icouldsaynothing。
“Well，now，Icanputyouintothewayofmakingatleastthreeorfourtimesasmuchasthat。Listen！IamAlexanderPoulter，ofPoulter”sPills。Ihaveaproposaltomaketoyou。Theschemeisboundtosucceed，butIwantyourhelp。Acceptmyproposalandyourfortune”smade。DidyoueverhearMoodyandSankey？“heaskedabruptly。
Themanisanidiot，thoughtI；heisnowfairlycarriedawaywithhisparticularmania。Willitlastlong？ShallIring？
“Novelty，mydearsir，“hewenton，“istheruleoftheday；andtheremustbenoveltyinadvertising，asineverythingelse，tocatchthepublicinterest。SoIintendtogoonatour，lecturingonthemeritsofPoulter”sPillsinalltheprincipalhallsofalltheprincipaltownsallovertheworld。ButIhavebeendelayedincarryingoutmyideatillIcouldassociatemyselfwithagentlemansuchasyourself。Willyoujoinme？IshouldbetheMoodyofthetour；youwouldbeitsSankey。Iwouldspeakmypatter，andyouwouldinterspersemyorationswithmelodiousballadsbearinguponthevirtuesofPoulter”sPills。Theballadsareallready！“
Sosaying，heopenedthatbaganddrewforthfromitsrecessesnothingmorealarmingthanathickrollofmanuscriptmusic。
“Theversesaremyown，“hesaid，withalittletouchofpride；
“andasforthemusic，Ithoughtitbettertomakeuseofpopularmelodies，soastoenableanaudiencetojoininthechorus。See，hereisoneoftheballads：”Darling，Iambetternow。”Itdescribesthewoesofafondlover，orratherhisphysicalailments，untilhewentthroughacourseofPoulter。Here”sanother：”I”mninety-five！I”mninety-five！”Youcatchthedriftofthat，ofcourse——ahealthyoldage，securedbytakingPoulter”sPills。Ah！what”sthis？”Littlesister”slastrequest。”IfancytheideaofthatistobegthefamilynevertobewithoutPoulter”sPills。Hereagain：”Thenyou”llrememberme！”I”mafraidthattitleisnotoriginal；nevermind，thesongis。Andhereis——buttherearemanymore，andIwon”tdetainyouwiththemnow。”Hesaw，perhaps，Iwasgettingimpatient。ThankHeaven，however，hewasnoescapedlunatic。Iwassafe！
“Mr。Poulter，“saidI，“Itookyouthisafternoonforadisinterestedandphilanthropicmillionaire；youtakemefor——for——
somethingdifferentfromwhatIam。Wehavebothmademistakes。
Inaword，itisimpossibleformetoacceptyouroffer！“
“Isthatfinal？“askedPoulter。
“Certainly，“saidI。
Poultergatheredhismanuscriptstogetherandreplacedtheminthebag，andgotuptoleavetheroom。
“Goodevening，Mr。Dale，“hesaidmournfully，asIopenedthedooroftheroom。“Goodevening“——hekeptontalkingtillhewasfairlyoutofthehouse”markmywords，you”llbesorry——verysorry——onedaythatyoudidnotfallinwithmyscheme。Offerslikeminedon”tcomeeveryday，andyouwillonedayregrethavingrefusedit。”
Withthesewordsheleftthehouse。
Ihadlittleappetiteformydinnerthatevening。
ThePipe“RANDOLPHCRESCENT，N。W。
MYDEARPUGH——IhopeyouwilllikethepipewhichIsendwiththis。
ItisratheracuriousexampleofacertainschoolofIndiancarving。Andisapresentfrom“Yourstruly，JOSEPHTRESS。”
ItwasreallyveryhandsomeofTress——veryhandsome！ThemoreespeciallyasIwasawarethattogivepresentswasnotexactlyinTress”sline。ThetruthisthatwhenIsawwhatmannerofpipeitwasIwasamazed。Itwascontainedinasandalwoodbox，whichwasitselfillustratedwithsomeremarkablespecimensofcarving。I
usetheword“remarkable“advisedly，because，althoughtheworkmanshipwasundoubtedly，initsway，artistic，theresultcouldnotbedescribedasbeautiful。ThecarverhadthoughtpropertoornamenttheboxwithsomeoftheugliestfiguresIremembertohaveseen。Theyappearedtometobedevils。Orperhapstheywereintendedtorepresentdeitiesappertainingtosomemythologicalsystemwithwhich，thankgoodness，Iamunacquainted。Thepipeitselfwasworthyofthecaseinwhichitwascontained。Itwasofmeerschaum，withanambermouthpiece。Itwasrathertoolargeforordinarysmoking。Butthen，ofcourse，onedoesn”tsmokeapipelikethat。TherearepipesinmycollectionwhichIshouldassoonthinkofsmokingasIshouldofeating。AskachinamaniactoletyouhaveafternoonteaoutofhisOldChelsea，andyouwilllearnsomehometruthsastothedurabilityofhumanfriendships。Thegloryofthepipe，asTresshadsuggested，layinitscarving。NotthatIclaimthatitwasbeautiful，anymorethanImakesuchaclaimforthecarvingonthebox，but，asTresssaidinhisnote，itwascurious。
Thestemandthebowlwerequiteplain，butontheedgeofthebowlwasperchedsomekindoflizard。ItoldmyselfitwasanoctopuswhenIfirstsawit，butIhavesincehadreasontobelievethatitwassomealmostuniquememberofthelizardtribe。Thecreaturewasrepresentedasclimbingovertheedgeofthebowldowntowardthestem，anditslegs，orfeelers，ortentacula，orwhateverthethingsarecalled，were，ifImayuseavulgarism，sprawlingabout“allovertheplace。”Forinstance，twoorthreeofthemweretwinedaboutthebowl，twoorthreeofthemweretwistedroundthestem，andone，aparticularlyhorribleone，wasupliftedintheair，sothatifyouputthepipeinyourmouththethingwaspointingstraightatyournose。
Nottheleastagreeablefeatureaboutthecreaturewasthatitwashideouslylifelike。Itappearedtohavebeencarvedinamber，butsomecoloringmattermusthavebeenintroduced，forinsidetheamberthecreaturewasofapeculiarlyghastlygreen。ThemoreI
examinedthepipethemoreamazedIwasatTress”sgenerosity。HeandIarerivalcollectors。Iamnotgoingtosay，insomanywords，thathiscollectionofpipescontainsnothingbutrubbish，because，asamatteroffact，hehastwoorthreeratherdecentspecimens。Buttocomparehiscollectiontominewouldbeabsurd。
Tressisconsciousofthis，andheresentsit。Heresentsittosuchanextentthathehasbeenknown，atleastononeoccasion，todeclarethatonesinglepipeofhis——IbelievehealludedtotheBrummagemrelicpreposterouslyattributedtoSirWalterRaleigh——
wasworththewholeofmycollectionputtogether。AlthoughIhaveforgottenthis，asIhopeIalwaysshallforgiveremarksmadewhenenviouspassionsgetthebetterofournoblernature，evenofaJosephTress，itisnottobesupposedthatIhaveforgottenit。
Hewas，therefore，notatallthesortofpersonfromwhomI
expectedtoreceiveapresent。Andsuchapresent！Idonotbelievethathehimselfhadafinerpipeinhiscollection。Andtohavegivenittome！Ihadmisjudgedtheman。Iwonderedwherehehadgotitfrom。Ihadseenhispipes；Iknewthemoffbyheart——
andsomenicetrumperyhehasamongthem，too！butIhadneverseenTHATpipebefore。ThemoreIlookedatit，themoremyamazementgrew。Thebeastperchedupontheedgeofthebowlwassolifelike。
Itstwobead-likeeyesseemedtogleamatmewithpositivelyhumanintelligence。ThepipefascinatedmetosuchanextentthatI
actuallyresolvedto——smokeit！
IfilleditwithPerique。OrdinarilyIuseBirdseye，butonthoseveryrareoccasionsonwhichIuseaspecimenIsmokePerique。I
litupwithquiteasmallsensationofexcitement。AsIdidsoI
keptmyeyesperforcefixeduponthebeast。Thebeastpointeditsupraisedtentacledirectlyatme。AsIinhaledthepungenttobaccothattentacleimpressedmewithafeelingofactualuncanniness。
Itwasbroaddaylight，andIwassmokinginfrontofthewindow，yettosuchanextentwasIaffectedthatitseemedtomethatthetentaclewasnotonlyvibrating，which，owingtothepeculiarityofitsposition，wasquitewithintherangeofprobability，butactuallymoving，elongating——stretchingforward，thatis，farthertowardme，andtowardthetipofmynose。SoimpressedwasIbythisideathatItookthepipeoutofmymouthandminutelyexaminedthebeast。Really，thedelusionwasexcusable。Socunninglyhadtheartistwroughtthathesucceededinproducingacreaturewhich，suchwasitsuncanniness，Icouldonlyhopehadnooriginalinnature。
ReplacingthepipebetweenmylipsItookseveralwhiffs。Neverhadsmokinghadsuchaneffectonmebefore。Eitherthepipe，orthecreatureonit，exercisedsomesingularfascination。Iseemed，withoutaninstant”swarning，tobepassingintosomelandofdreams。Isawthebeast，whichwaspercheduponthebowl，writheandtwist。Isawitliftitselfbodilyfromthemeerschaum。
II
“Feelingbetternow？“
Ilookedup。JosephTresswasspeaking。
“What”sthematter？HaveIbeenill？“
“Youappeartohavebeeninsomekindofswoon。”Tress”stonewaspeculiar，evenalittledry。
“Swoon！Ineverwasguiltyofsuchathinginmylife。”
“NorwasI，untilIsmokedthatpipe。”
Isatup。TheactofsittingupmademeconsciousofthefactthatIhadbeenlyingdown。Conscious，too，thatIwasfeelingmorethanalittledazed。ItseemedasthoughIwaswakingoutofsomestrange，lethargicsleep——akindoffeelingwhichIhavereadofandheardabout，butneverbeforeexperienced。
“WhereamI？“
“You”reonthecouchinyourownroom。YouWEREonthefloor；butIthoughtitwouldbebettertopickyouupandplaceyouonthecouch——thoughnooneperformedthesamekindofficetomewhenI
wasonthefloor。”
AgainTress”stonewasdistinctlydry。
“HowcameYOUhere？“
“Ah，that”sthequestion。”Herubbedhischin——ahabitofhiswhichhasannoyedmemorethanoncebefore。“Doyouthinkyou”resufficientlyrecoveredtoenableyoutounderstandalittlesimpleexplanation？“Istaredathim，amazed。Hewentonstrokinghischin。“ThetruthisthatwhenIsentyouthepipeImadeaslightomission。”
“Anomission？“
“Iomittedtoadviseyounottosmokeit。”
“Andwhy？“
“Because——well，I”vereasontobelievethethingisdrugged。”
“Drugged！“
“Orpoisoned。”
“Poisoned！“Iwaswideawakeenoughthen。Ijumpedoffthecouchwithaceleritywhichprovedit。
“Itisthisway。Ibecameitsownerinratherasingularmanner。”
Hepaused，asifformetomakearemark；butIwassilent。“ItisnotoftenthatIsmokeaspecimen，but，forsomereason，Ididsmokethis。Icommencedtosmokeit，thatis。HowlongI
continuedtosmokeitismorethanIcansay。Ithadonmethesamepeculiareffectwhichitappearstohavehadonyou。WhenI
recoveredconsciousnessIwaslyingonthefloor。”
“Onthefloor？“
“Onthefloor。Inaboutasuncomfortableapositionasyoucaneasilyconceive。Iwaslyingfacedownward，withmylegsbentunderme。IwasneversosurprisedinmylifeasIwaswhenI
foundmyselfWHEREIwas。AtfirstIsupposedthatIhadhadastroke。ButbydegreesitdawneduponmethatIdidn”tFEELasthoughIhadhadastroke。”Tress，bytheway，hasbeenanarmysurgeon。“Iwasconsciousofdistinctnausea。Lookingabout，I
sawthepipe。Withmeithadfallenontothefloor。Itookitforgranted，consideringthedelicacyofthecarving，thatthefallhadbrokenit。ButwhenIpickeditupIfounditquiteuninjured。
WhileIwasexaminingitathoughtflashedtomybrain。Mightitnotbeanswerableforwhathadhappenedtome？Suppose，forinstance，itwasdrugged？Ihadheardofsuchthings。Besides，inmycasewerepresentallthesymptomsofdrugpoisoning，thoughwhatdrughadbeenusedIcouldn”tintheleastconceive。I
resolvedthatIwouldgivethepipeanothertrial。”
“Onyourself？oronanotherparty，meaningme？“
“Onmyself，mydearPugh——onmyself！AtthatpointofmyinvestigationsIhadnotbeguntothinkofyou。Ilitupandhadanothersmoke。”
“Withwhatresult？“
“Well，thatdependsonthestandpointfromwhichyouregardthething。Fromonepointofviewtheresultwaswhollysatisfactory——
Iprovedthatthethingwasdrugged，andmore。”
“Didyouhaveanotherfall？“
“Idid。Andsomethingelsebesides。”
“Onthataccount，Ipresume，youresolvedtopassthetreasureontome？“
“Partlyonthataccount，andpartlyonanother。”
“Onmyword，Iappreciateyourgenerosity。Youmighthavelabeledthethingaspoison。”
“Exactly。ButthenyoumustrememberhowoftenyouhavetoldmethatyouNEVERsmokeyourspecimens。”
“Thatwasnoreasonwhyyoushouldn”thavegivenmeahintthatthethingwasmoredangerousthandynamite。”
“Thatdidoccurtomeafterwards。ThereforeIcalledtosupplytheslightomission。”
“SLIGHTomission，youcallit！Iwonderwhatyouwouldhavecalleditifyouhadfoundmedead。”
“IfIhadknownthatyouINTENDEDsmokingitIshouldnothavebeenatallsurprisedifIhad。”
“Really，Tress，Iappreciateyourkindnessmoreandmore！Andwhereisthisexampleofyoursplendidbenevolence？Haveyoupocketedit，regrettingyourlapseintotheunaccustomedpathsofgenerosity？Orisitsmashedtoatoms？“
“Neithertheonenortheother。Youwillfindthepipeuponthetable。Ineitherdesireitsrestorationnorisitinanywayinjured。ItismerelyanexpressionofpersonalopinionwhenIsaythatIdon”tbelievethatitCOULDbeinjured。Ofcourse，havingdiscovereditsdeleteriousproperties，youwillnotwanttosmokeitagain。YouwillthereforebeabletoenjoytheconsciousnessofbeingthepossessorofwhatIhonestlybelievetobethemostremarkablepipeinexistence。Goodday，Pugh。”
HewasgonebeforeIcouldsayaword。Iimmediatelyconcluded，fromtheprecipitancyofhisflight，thatthepipeWASinjured。
ButwhenIsubjectedittocloseexaminationIcoulddiscovernosignsofdamage。WhileIwasstilleyingitwithjealousscrutinythedoorreopened，andTresscameinagain。
“Bytheway，Pugh，thereisonethingImightmention，especiallyasIknowitwon”tmakeanydifferencetoyou。”
“Thatdependsonwhatitis。Ifyouhavechangedyourmind，andwantthepipebackagain，Itellyoufranklythatitwon”t。Inmyopinion，athingoncegivenisgivenforgood。”
“Quiteso；Idon”twantitbackagain。Youmaymakeyourmindeasyonthatpoint。ImerelywantedtotellyouWHYIgaveityou。”
“Youhavetoldmethatalready。”
“Onlypartly，mydearPugh——onlypartly。Youdon”tsupposeI
shouldhavegivenyousuchapipeasthatmerelybecauseithappenedtobedrugged？Scarcely！IgaveityoubecauseI
discoveredfromindisputableevidence，andtomycost，thatitwashaunted。”
“Haunted？“
“Yes，haunted。Goodday。”
Hewasgoneagain。Iranoutoftheroom，andshoutedafterhimdownthestairs。Hewasalreadyatthebottomoftheflight。
“Tress！Comeback！Whatdoyoumeanbytalkingsuchnonsense？“
“Ofcourseit”sonlynonsense。Weknowthatthatsortofthingalwaysisnonsense。Butifyoushouldhavereasontosupposethatthereissomethinginitbesidesnonsense，youmaythinkitworthyourwhiletomakeinquiriesofme，ButIwon”thavethatpipebackagaininmypossessiononanyterms——mindthat！“
Thebangofthefrontdoortoldmethathehadgoneoutintothestreet。Ilethimgo。IlaughedtomyselfasIreenteredtheroom。Haunted！Thatwasnotabadideaofhis。Isawthewholepositionataglance。Thetruthofthematterwasthathedidregrethisgenerosity，andhewasreadytogoanylengthsifhecouldonlysucceedincajolingmeintorestoringhisgift。HewasawarethatIhaveviewsuponcertainmatterswhicharenotwhollyinaccordancewiththosewhicharepopularlysupposedtobetheviewsoftheday，andparticularlythatonthequestionofwhatarecommonlycalledsupernaturalvisitationsIhaveastandpointofmyown。Therefore，itwasnotabadmoveonhisparttotrytomakemebelievethataboutthepipeonwhichheknewIhadsetmyhearttherewassomethingwhichcouldnotbeaccountedforbyordinarylaws。Yet，ashisownsensewouldhavetoldhimitwoulddo，ifhehadonlyallowedhimselftoreflectforamoment，themovefailed。
BecauseIamnotyetsofargoneastosupposethatapipe，athingofmeerschaumandofamber，inthesenseinwhichIunderstandtheword，COULDbehaunted——apipe，amerepipe。
“Hollo！Ithoughtthecreature”slegsweretwinedrightroundthebowl！“
Iwasholdingthepipeinmyhand，regardingitwiththeaffectionateeyeswithwhichaconnoisseurdoesregardacurio，whenIwasinducedtomakethisexclamation。Iwascertainlyundertheimpressionthat，whenIfirsttookthepipeoutofthebox，two，ifnotthreeofthefeelershadbeentwinedaboutthebowl——
twinedTIGHTLY，sothatyoucouldnotseedaylightbetweenthemandit。Nowtheywerealmostentirelydetached，onlythetipstouchingthemeerschaum，andthoseparticularfeelersweregatheredupasthoughthecreaturewereintheactoftakingaspring。OfcourseIwasunderamisapprehension：thefeelersCOULDN”Thavebeentwined；amomentbeforeIshouldhavebeenreadytobetathousandtoonethattheywere。Still，onedoesmakemistakes，andveryegregiousmistakes，attimes。Atthesametime，IconfessthatwhenIsawthatdreadful-lookinganimalpoisedontheextremeedgeofthebowl，foralltheworldasthoughitwerejustgoingtospringatme，Iwasalittlestartled。IrememberedthatwhenI
wassmokingthepipeIdidthinkIsawtheupliftedtentaclemoving，asthoughitwerereachingouttome。AndIhadaclearrecollectionthatjustasIhadbeensinkingintothatstrangestateofunconsciousness，Ihadbeenundertheimpressionthatthecreaturewaswrithingandtwisting，asthoughithadsuddenlybecomeinstinctwithlife。Underthecircumstances，thesereflectionswerenotpleasant。IwishedTresshadnottalkedthatnonsenseaboutthethingbeinghaunted。Itwassurelysufficienttoknowthatitwasdruggedandpoisonous，withoutanythingelse。
Ireplaceditinthesandalwoodbox。Ilockedtheboxinacabinet。Quiteapartfromthequestionastowhetherthatpipewasorwasnothaunted，Iknowithauntedme。Itwaswithmeinafigurative——whichwasworsethanactual——sensealltheday。Stillworse，itwaswithmeallthenight。Itwaswithmeinmydreams。
Suchdreams！PossiblyIhadnotyetwhollyrecoveredfromtheeffectsofthatinsidiousdrug，but，whetherorno，itwasverywrongofTresstosetmythoughtsintosuchachannel。HeknowsthatIamofahighlyimaginativetemperament，andthatitiseasiertogetmorbidthoughtsintomymindthantogetthemoutagain。BeforethatnightwasthroughIwishedveryheartilythatI
hadneverseenthepipe！Iwokefromonenightmaretofallintoanother。Onedreadfuldreamwaswithmeallthetime——ofahideous，greenreptilewhichadvancedtowardmeoutofsomeawfuldarkness，slowly，inchbyinch，untilitclutchedmeroundtheneck，and，gluingitslipstomine，suckedthelife”sbloodoutofmyveinsasitembracedmewithaslimykiss。Suchdreamsarenotrestful。Iwokeanythingbutrefreshedwhenthemorningcame。AndwhenIgotupanddressedIfeltthat，onthewhole，itwouldperhapshavebeenbetterifIneverhadgonetobed。Mynerveswereunstrung，andIhadthatgenerallytremulousfeelingwhichis，Ibelieve，aninseparablecompanionofthemoreadvancedstagesofdipsomania。Iatenobreakfast。Iamnobreakfasteaterasarule，butthatmorningIateabsolutelynothing。
“Ifthissortofthingistocontinue，IwillletTresshavehispipeagain。Hemayhavethelaughofme，butanythingisbetterthanthis。”
ItwaswithalmostfunerealforebodingsthatIwenttothecabinetinwhichIhadplacedthesandalwoodbox。ButwhenIopeneditmyfeelingsofgloompartiallyvanished。OfwhatphantasieshadI
beenguilty！Itmusthavebeenanentiredelusiononmyparttohavesupposedthatthosetentaculahadeverbeentwinedaboutthebowl。ThecreaturewasinexactlythesamepositioninwhichIhadleftitthedaybefore——as，ofcourse，Iknewitwouldbe——poised，asifabouttospring。IwastellingmyselfhowfoolishIhadbeentoallowmyselftodwellforamomentonTress”swords，whenMartinBrasherwasshownin。
Brasherisanoldfriendofmine。Wehaveacommonground——ghosts。
Onlyweapproachthemfromdifferentpointsofview。Hetakesthescientific——psychological——inquiryside。Heisalwaysanxioustohearofaghost，sothathemayhaveanopportunityof“showingitup。”
“I”vesomethinginyourlinehere，“Iobserved，ashecamein。
“Inmyline？Howso？I”Mnotpipemad。”
“No；butyou”reghostmad。Andthisisahauntedpipe。”
“Ahauntedpipe！Ithinkyou”rerathermoremadaboutghosts，mydearPugh，thanIam。”
ThenItoldhimallaboutit。Hewasdeeplyinterested，especiallywhenItoldhimthatthepipewasdrugged。ButwhenIrepeatedTress”swordsaboutitsbeinghaunted，andmentionedmyowndelusionaboutthecreaturemoving，hetookamoreseriousviewofthecasethanIhadexpectedhewoulddo。
“IproposethatweactonTress”ssuggestion，andgoandmakeinquiriesofhim。”
“Butyoudon”treallythinkthatthereisanythinginit？“
“OnthesesubjectsIneverallowmyselftothinkatall。ThereareTress”swords，andthereisyourstory。Itisagreedonallhandsthatthepipehaspeculiarproperties。Itseemstomethatthereisasufficientcaseheretomeritinquiry。”
Hepersuadedme。Iwentwithhim。Thepipe，inthesandalwoodbox，wenttoo。Tressreceiveduswithagrin——agrinwhichwasaccentuatedwhenIplacedthesandalwoodboxonthetable。
“Youunderstand，“hesaid，“thatagiftisagift。OnnotermswillIconsenttoreceivethatpipebackinmypossession。”
Iwasrathernettledbyhistone。
“Youneedbeundernoalarm。Ihavenointentionofsuggestinganythingofthekind。”
“Ourbusinesshere，“beganBrasher——Imustownthathismannerisalittleponderous”isofascientific，Imaysayalso，andatthesametime，ofajudicialnature。OurobjectisthePursuitofTruthandtheAdvancementofInquiry。”
“Haveyoubeentryinganothersmoke？“inquiredTress，noddinghisheadtowardme。
BeforeIhadtimetoanswer，Brasherwentdroningon：
“Ourfriendheretellsmethatyousaythispipeishaunted。”
“IsayitishauntedbecauseitIShaunted。”
IlookedatTress。Ihalfsuspectedthathewaspokingfunatus。
Butheappearedtobeseriousenough。
“Inthesematters，“remarkedBrasher，asthoughheweregivingutterancetoanewandimportanttruth，“thereisascientificandnonscientificmethodofinquiry。Thescientificmethodistobeginatthebeginning。MayIaskhowthispipecameintoyourpossession？“
Tresspausedbeforeheanswered。
“Youmayask。”Hepausedagain。“Oh，youcertainlymayask。Butitdoesn”tfollowthatIshalltellyou。”
“Surelyyourobject，likeours，canbebuttheSpreadingAboutoftheTruth？“
“Idon”tseeitatall。Itispossibletoimagineacaseinwhichthespreadingaboutofthetruthmightmakemelookalittleawkward。”
“Indeed！“Brasherpurseduphislips。“Yourwordswouldalmostleadonetosupposethattherewassomethingaboutyourmethodofacquiringthepipewhichyouhavegoodandweightyreasonsforconcealing。”
“Idon”tknowwhyIshouldconcealthethingfromyou。Idon”tsupposeeitherofyouisanybetterthanIam。Idon”tmindtellingyouhowIgotthepipe。Istoleit。”
“Stoleit！“
Brasherseemedbothamazedandshocked。ButI，whohadpreviousexperienceofTress”smethodsofaddingtohiscollection，wasnotatallsurprised。Someofthepipeswhichhecallshis，ifonlythewholetruthaboutthemwerepubliclyknown，wouldsendhimtojail。
“That”snothing！“hecontinued。“Allcollectorssteal！Theeighthcommandmentwasnotintendedtoapplytothem。Why，Pughtherehas”conveyed”threefourthsofthepipeswhichheflattershimselfarehis。”
Iwassodumfounderedbythechargethatittookmybreathaway。I
satinastoundedsilence。Tresswentravingon：
“IwassoshyofthisparticularpipewhenIhadobtainedit，thatIputitawayforquitethreemonths。WhenItookitouttohavealookatitsomethingaboutthethingsotickledmethatIresolvedtosmokeit。Owingtopeculiarcircumstancesattendingthemannerinwhichthethingcameintomypossession，andonwhichIneednotdwell——youdon”tliketodwellonthosesortofthings，doyou，Pugh？——Iknewreallynothingaboutthepipe。AswasthecasewithPugh，onepeculiarityIlearnedfromactualexperience。ItwasalsofromactualexperiencethatIlearnedthatthethingwas——
well，Isaidhaunted，butyoumayuseanyotherwordyoulike。”
“Tellus，asbrieflyaspossible，whatitwasyoureallydiddiscover。”
“Takethepipeoutofthebox！“Brashertookthepipeoutoftheboxandhelditinhishand。“Youseethatcreatureonit。Well，whenIfirsthadititwasunderneaththepipe。”
“Howdoyoumeanthatitwasunderneaththepipe？“
“Itwasbunchedtogetherunderneaththestem，justattheendofthemouthpiece，inthesamewayinwhichaflymightbesuspendedfromtheceiling。WhenIbegantosmokethepipeIsawthecreaturemove。”
“ButIthoughtthatunconsciousnessimmediatelyfollowed。”
“Itdidfollow，butnotbeforeIsawthatthethingwasmoving。ItwasbecauseIthoughtthatIhadbeen，inaway，avictimofdeliriumthatItriedthesecondsmoke。SuspectingthatthethingwasdruggedIswallowedwhatIbelievedwouldproveapowerfulantidote。Itenabledmetoresisttheinfluenceofthenarcoticmuchlongerthanbefore，andwhileIstillretainedmysensesIsawthecreaturecrawlalongunderthestemandoverthebowl。Itwasthatsight，Ibelieve，asmuchasanythingelse，whichsentmesilly。WhenIcametoIthenandtheredecidedtopresentthepipetoPugh。ThereisonemorethingIwouldremark。Whenthepipeleftmethecreature”slegsweretwinedaboutthebowl。Nowtheyarewithdrawn。Possiblyyou，Pugh，areabletocapmystorywithalittleonewhichisallyourown。”
“IcertainlydidimaginethatIsawthecreaturemove。ButI
supposedthatwhileIwasundertheinfluenceofthedrugimaginationhadplayedmeatrick。”
“Notabitofit！Dependuponit，thebeastisbewitched。Eventomyeyeitlooksasthoughitwere，andtoatrainedeyelikeyours，Pugh！You”vebeenlookingforthedevilalongtime，andyou”vegothimatlast。”
“I——Iwishyouwouldn”tmakethoseremarks，Tress。Theyjaronme。”
“Iconfess，“interpolatedBrasher——Inoticedthathehadputthepipedownonthetableasthoughheweretiredofholdingit——
“that，toMYthinking，suchremarksarenotappropriate。Atthesametimewhatyouhavetoldusis，Iamboundtoallow，alittlecurious。ButofcoursewhatIrequireisoculardemonstration。I
haven”tseenthemovementmyself。”
“No，butyouverysoonwilldoifyoucaretohaveapullatthepipeonyourownaccount。Do，Brasher，toobligeme！There”sadear！“
“Itappears，then，thatthemovementisonlyobservablewhenthepipeissmoked。WehaveatleastarrivedatstepNo。1。”
“Here”samatch，Brasher！Lightup，andweshallhavearrivedatstepNo。2。”
TresslitamatchandhelditouttoBrasher。Brasherretreatedfromitsneighborhood。
“Thankyou，Mr。Tress，Iamnosmoker，asyouareaware。AndI
havenodesiretoacquiretheartofsmokingbymeansofapoisonedpipe。”
Tresslaughed。Heblewoutthematchandthrewitintothegrate。
“ThenItellyouwhatI”lldo——I”llhaveupBob。”
“Bob——whyBob？“
“Bob“——whoserealnamewasRobertHaines，thoughIshouldthinkhemusthaveforgottenthefact，soseldomwasheaddressedbyit——wasTress”sservant。Hehadbeenanoldsoldier，andhadaccompaniedhismasterwhenhelefttheservice。HewasasdepravedacharacterasTresshimself。Iamnotsureeventhathewasnotworsethanhismaster。Ishallneverforgethowheoncebehavedtowardmyself。HeactuallyhadtheassurancetoaccusemeofattemptingtostealtheWardourStreetrelicwhichTressfondlydeludeshimselfwasoncethepropertyofSirWalterRaleigh。ThetruthisthatIhadslippeditwithmyhandkerchiefintomypocketinafitofabsenceofmind。AmanwhocouldaccuseMEofsuchathingwouldbeguiltyofanything。IwasthereforequiteatonewithBrasherwhenheaskedwhatBobcouldpossiblybewantedfor。
Tressexplained。
“I”llgethimtosmokethepipe，“hesaid。
BrasherandIexchangedglances，butwerefrainedfromspeech。
“Itwon”tdohimanyharm，“saidTress。
“What——notapoisonedpipe？“askedBrasher。
“It”snotpoisoned——it”sonlydrugged。”
“ONLYdrugged！“
“NothinghurtsBob。Heislikeanostrich。Hehasdigestiveorganswhicharepeculiarlyhisown。Itwillonlyservehimasitservedme——andPugh——itwillknockhimover。ItisalldoneinthePursuitofTruthandfortheAdvancementofInquiry。”
IcouldseethatBrasherdidnotaltogetherlikethetoneinwhichTressrepeatedhiswords。Asforme，itwasnottobesupposedthatIshouldputmyselfoutinamatterwhichinnowayconcernedme。IfTresschosetopoisontheman，itwashisaffair，notmine。
Hewenttothedoorandshouted：
“Bob！Comehere，youscoundrel！“
Thatisthewayinwhichhespeakstohim。Noreallydecentservantwouldstandit。Ishouldn”tcaretoaddressNalder，myservant，insuchaway。Hewouldgivemenoticeonthespot。Bobcamein。Heisagreathulkingfellowwhoisalwaysonthegrin。
Tresshadadecanterofbrandyinhishand。Hefilledatumblerwiththeneatspirit。
“Bob，whatwouldyousaytoaglassfulofbrandy——therealthing——
myboy？“
“Thankyou，sir。”
“Andwhatwouldyousaytoapullatapipewhenthebrandyisdrunk！“
“Apipe？“Thefellowissharpenoughwhenhelikes。Isawhimlookatthepipeuponthetable，andthenatus，andthenagleamofintelligencecameintohiseyes。“I”ddoitforadollar，sir。”
“Adollar，youthief？“
“Imeanttenshillings，sir。”
“Tenshillings，youbrazenvagabond？“
“Ishouldhavesaidapound。”
“Apound！Waseverthelikeofthat！DoIunderstandyoutoaskapoundfortakingapullatyourmaster”spipe？“
“I”mthinkingthatI”llhavetomakeittwo。”
“Thedeuceyouare！Here，Pugh，lendmeapound。”
“I”mafraidI”veleftmypursebehind。”
“Thenlendmetenshillings——Ananias！“
“IdoubtifIhavemorethanfive。”
“Thengivemethefive。And，Brasher，lendmetheotherfifteen。”
Brasherlenthimthefifteen。Idoubtifweshalleitherofuseverseeourmoneyagain。HehandedthepoundtoBob。
“Here”sthebrandy——drinkitup！“Bobdrankitwithoutaword，drainingtheglassofeverydrop。“Andhere”sthepipe。”
“Isitpoisoned，sir？“
“Poisoned，youvillain！Whatdoyoumean？“
“Itisn”tthefirsttimeI”veseenyourtricks，sir——isitnow？
Andyou”renottheonetogiveapoundfornothingatall。Ifitkillsmeyou”llsendmybodytomymother——she”dliketoknowthatIwasdead。”
“Sendyourbodytoyourgrandmother！Youidiot，sitdownandsmoke！“
Bobsatdown。Tresshadfilledthepipe，andhandedit，withalightedmatch，toBob。Thefellowdeclinedthematch。Hehandledthepipeverygingerly，turningitoverandover，eyingitwithallhiseyes。
“Thankyou，sir——I”lllightupmyselfifit”sthesametoyou。I
carrymatchesofmyown。It”sabeautifulpipe，entirely。Ineverseethelikeofitforugliness。Andwhat”stheslimy-lookingvarmintthatlooksasthoughitwouldliketohavemylife？Isitliving，orisitdead？“
“Come，wedon”twanttosithereallday，myman！“
“Well，sir，thelookofthisherepipehasquiteupsetmystomach。
I”dlikeanotherdropofliquor，ifit”sthesametoyou。”
“Anotherdrop！Why，you”vehadatumblerfulalready！Here”sanothertumblerfultoputontopofthat。Youwon”twantthepipetokillyou——you”llbekilledbeforeyougettoit。”
“Andisn”titbettertodieanaturaldeath？“
Bobemptiedthesecondtumblerofbrandyasthoughitwerewater。
Ibelievehewouldemptyahogsheadwithoutturningahair！Thenhegaveanotherlookatthepipe。Then，takingamatchfromhiswaistcoatpocket，hedrewalongbreath，asthoughhewereresigninghimselftofate。Strikingthematchontheseatofhistrousers，while，shadedbyhishand，theflamewasgatheringstrength，helookedateachofusinturn。WhenhelookedatTressIdistinctlysawhimwinkhiseye。WhatmyfeelingswouldhavebeenifaservantofminehadwinkedhiseyeatmeIamunabletoimagine！Thematchwasappliedtothetobacco，apuffofsmokecamethroughhislips——thepipewasalight！
Duringthisprocessoflightingthepipewehadsat——Idonotwishtouseexaggeratedlanguage，butwehadsatandwatchedthatalcoholicscamp”sproceedingsasthoughwewerewitnessinganactionwhichwouldleaveitsmarkupontheage。Whenwesawthepipewaslightedwegaveasimultaneousstart。Brasherputhishandsunderhiscoattailsandgaveakindofhop。Iraisedmyselfagoodsixinchesfrommychair，andTressrubbedhispalmstogetherwithachuckle。Bobalonewascalm。
“Now，“criedTress，“you”llseethedevilmoving。”
Bobtookthepipefrombetweenhislips。
“Seewhat？“hesaid。
“Bob，yourascal，putthatpipebackintoyourmouth，andsmokeitforyourlife！“
Bobwaseyingthepipeaskance。
“Idaresay，butwhatIwanttoknowiswhetherthisherevarmint”sdeadorwhetherheisn”t。Idon”twanttohavehimflyingatmynose——andhelooksviciousenoughforanything。”
“Givemebackthatpound，youthief，andgetoutofmyhouse，andbundle。”
“Iain”tgoingtogiveyoubacknopound。”
“Thensmokethatpipe！“
“Iamsmokingit，ain”tI？“
WiththeutmostdeliberationBobreturnedthepipetohismouth。
Heemittedanotherwhiffortwoofsmoke。
“Now——now！“criedTress，allexcitement，andwagginghishandintheair。
Wegatheredround。AswedidsoBobagainwithdrewthepipe。
“Whatisthemeaningofallthishere？Iain”tgoingtohaveyouplayingnoneofyourlarksonme。Iknowthere”ssomethingup，butIain”tgoingtothrowmylifeawayfortwentyshillings——notquiteIain”t。”
Tress，whosetemperisnotatanytimeoneofthebest，wasseizedwithquiteaspasmofrage。
“AsIlive，mylad，ifyoutrytocheatmebytakingthatpipefrombetweenyourlipsuntilItellyou，youleavethisroomthatinstant，neveragaintobeaservantofmine。”
Ipresumethefellowknewfromlongexperiencewhenhismastermeantwhathesaid，andwhenhedidn”t。Withoutanattemptatremonstrancehereplacedthepipe。Hecontinuedstolidlytopuffaway。Tresscaughtmebythearm。
“WhatdidItellyou？There——there！Thattentacleismoving。”
TheupliftedtentacleWASmoving。ItwasdoingwhatIhadseenitdo，asIsupposed，inmydistortedimagination——itwasreachingforward。UndoubtedlyBobsawwhatitwasdoing；but，whetherinobediencetohismaster”scommands，orwhetherbecausethedrugwasalreadybeginningtotakeeffect，hemadenomovementtowithdrawthepipe。Hewatchedtheslowlyadvancingtentacle，comingcloserandclosertowardhisnose，withanexpressionofsuchintensehorroronhiscountenancethatitbecamequiteshocking。Fartherandfartherthecreaturereachedforward，untilonasudden，withasortofjerk，themovementassumedadownwarddirection，andthetentaclewasslowlylowereduntilthetiprestedonthestemofthepipe。Foramomentthecreatureremainedmotionless。Iwasquietingmynerveswiththereflectionthatthisthingwasbutsometrickofthecarver”sart，andthatwhatwehadseenwehadseeninasortofnightmare，whenthewholehideousreptilewasseizedwithwhatseemedtobeafitofconvulsiveshuddering。Itseemedtobeinagony。IttrembledsoviolentlythatIexpectedtoseeitloosenitsholdofthestemandfalltotheground。IwassufficientlymasterofmyselftostealaglanceatBob。Wehadhadaninklingofwhatmighthappen。Hewaswhollyunprepared。Ashesawthatdreadful，human-lookingcreature，comingtolife，asitseemed，withinaninchortwoofhisnose，hiseyesdilatedtotwicetheirusualsize。Ihoped，forhissake，thatunconsciousnesswouldsupervene，throughtheactionofthedrug，beforethroughsheerfrighthissenseslefthim。Perhapsmechanicallyhepuffedsteadilyon。
Thecreature”sshudderingbecamemoreviolent。Itappearedtoswellbeforeoureyes。Then，justassuddenlyasitbegan，theshudderingceased。Therewasanotherinstantofquiescence。Thenthecreaturebegantocrawlalongthestemofthepipe！Itmovedwithmarvelouscaution，themerestfractionofaninchatatime。
Butstillitmoved！Oureyeswererivetedonitwithafascinationwhichwasabsolutelynauseous。IamunpleasantlyaffectedevenasIthinkofitnow。Mydreamsofthenightbeforehadbeennothingtothis。
Slowly，slowly，itwent，nearerandnearertothesmoker”snose。
Itsmodeofprogressionwasinthehighestdegreeunsightly。Itglided，never，sofarasIcouldsee，removingitstentaclesfromthestemofthepipe。Itslippeditshindmostfeelersonwarduntiltheycameuptothosewhichwereinadvance。Then，intheirturn，itadvancedthosewhichwereinfront。Itseemed，too，tomovewiththeutmostlabor，shudderingasthoughitwereinpain。
Wewereall，forourparts，speechless。IwasmomentarilyhopingthatthedrugwouldtakeeffectonBob。Eitherhisconstitutionenabledhimtoofferastrongresistancetonarcotics，orelsethelargequantityofneatspiritwhichhehaddrunkacted——asTresshadmalevolentlyintendedthatitshould——asanantidote。ItseemedtomethathewouldNEVERsuccumb。Onwentthecreature——
on，andon，initsinfinitesimalprogression。Iwasspellbound。I
wouldhavegiventheworldtoscream，tohavebeenabletoutterasound。Icoulddonothingelsebutwatch。
Thecreaturehadreachedtheendofthestem。Ithadgainedtheambermouthpiece。Itwaswithinaninchofthesmoker”snose。
Stillonitwent。Itseemedtomovewithgreaterfreedomontheamber。Itincreaseditsrateofprogress。Itwasactuallytouchingtheforemostfeatureonthesmoker”scountenance。I
expectedtoseeitgripthewretchedBob，whenitbegantooscillatefromsidetoside。Itsoscillationsincreasedinviolence。Itfelltothefloor。Thatsameinstantthenarcoticprevailed。Bobslippedsidewaysfromthechair，thepipestillheldtightlybetweenhisrigidjaws。
Weweresilent。TherelayBob。Closebesidehimlaythecreature。
Afewmoreinchestotheleft，andhewouldhavefallenonandsquasheditflat。Ithadfallenonitsback。Itsfeelerswereextendedupward。Theywerewrithingandtwistingandturningintheair。
Tresswasthefirsttospeak。
“Ithinkalittlebrandywon”tbeamiss。”Emptyingtheremainderofthebrandyintoaglass，heswalloweditatadraught。“Nowforacloserexaminationofourfriend。”Takingapairoftongsfromthegratehenippedthecreaturebetweenthem。Hedepositedituponthetable。“Iratherfancythatthisisacasefordissection。”
Hetookapenknifefromhiswaistcoatpocket。Openingthelargeblade，hethrustitspointintotheobjectonthetable。Littleornoresistanceseemedtobeofferedtothepassageoftheblade，butasitwasinsertedthetentaculasimultaneouslybegantowritheandtwist。Tresswithdrewtheknife。
“Ithoughtso！“Heheldthebladeoutforourinspection。Thepointwascoveredwithsomeviscid-lookingmatter。“That”sblood！
Thething”salive！“
“Alive！“
“Alive！That”sthesecretofthewholeperformance！“
“But”
“Butmenobuts，myPugh！Themystery”sexploded！Onemoreghostislosttotheworld！ThepersonfromwhomIOBTAINEDthatpipewasanIndianjuggler——uptomanytricksofthetrade。He，orsomeoneforhim，gotholdofthissweetthinginreptiles——andasweeterthingwould，Iimagine，behardtofind——andcovereditwithsomepreparationof，possibly，gumarabic。Heallowedthistoharden。Thenhestuckthething——stillliving，forthosesortofgentryarehardtokill——tothepipe。Theconsequencewasthatwhenanyonelitup，thewarmthwascommunicatedtotheadhesiveagent——againsomepreparationofgum，nodoubt——itmoistenedit，andthecreature，withinfinitedifficulty，wasabletomove。ButIamopentolayoddswithanygentlemanofsportingtastesthatTHIStimethecreature”stravelingdaysAREdone。Ithasgivenmeratheralargertasteofthehorrorsthanisgoodformydigestion。”
Withtheaidofthetongsheremovedthecreaturefromthetable。
Heplaceditonthehearth。BeforeBrasherorIhadanotionofwhatitwasheintendedtodohecovereditwithaheavymarblepaperweight。Thenhestoodupontheweight，andbetweenthemarbleandthehearthhegroundthecreatureflat。
Whiletheexecutionwasstillproceeding，Bobsatupuponthefloor。
“Hollo！“heasked，“what”shappened？“
“We”veemptiedthebottle，Bob，“saidTress。“Butthere”sanotherwherethatcamefrom。Perhapsyoucoulddrinkanothertumblerful，myboy？“
Bobdrankit！
FOOTNOTE
“Thosegentryarehardtokill。”Hereisfact，notfantasy。
LizardyarnsnolesssensationalthanthisMysteryStorycanbefoundbetweenthecoversofsolemn，zoologicaltextbooks。
Reptiles，indeed，arefarfromfinickyinthemattersofair，space，andespeciallywarmth。Frogsandothersuchsluggish-
bloodedcreatureshavelivedafterbeingfrozenfastinice。Theirbloodislittlewarmerthanairorwater，enjoyingnoextracasingoffurorfeathers。
Airandfoodseemheldinlightesteembylizards。Theirbloodneednotbehighlyoxygenated；itnourishesjustaswellwhenimpure。Intemperateclimeslizardslietorpidandburiedallwinter；somespeciesofthetropicdesertssleeppeacefullyallsummer。Theiranatomyincludesnomeansforthecontinuousintroductionandexpulsionofair；reptilianlungsarelittlemorethanclosedsacs，withoutcellstructure。
Ifanyfurtherzoologicalfactwereneededtoverifythedenouementof“ThePipe，“itmightbethegeneralstatementthatlizardsareabnormalbrutesanyhow。Considerthechameleonsofunsettledhue。
Andwhatisonetothinkofananimalwhich，whencapturedbythetail，isabletomakeitsescapebywillfullyshufflingoffthatappendage？——EDITOR。
ThePuzzleI
Pughcameintomyroomholdingsomethingwrappedinapieceofbrownpaper。
“Tress，Ihavebroughtyousomethingonwhichyoumayexerciseyouringenuity。”Hebegan，withexasperatingdeliberation，tountiethestringwhichboundhisparcel；heisoneofthosepersonswhowouldnotcutaknottosavetheirlives。Theprocessoccupiedhimthebetterpartofaquarterofanhour。Thenheheldoutthecontentsofthepaper。
“Whatdoyouthinkofthat？“heasked。Ithoughtnothingofit，andItoldhimso。“Iwaspreparedforthatconfession。Ihavenoticed，Tress，thatyougenerallydothinknothingofanarticlewhichreallydeservestheattentionofatrulythoughtfulmind。
Possibly，asyouthinksolittleofit，youwillbeabletosolvethepuzzle。”
Itookwhatheheldouttome。Itwasanoblongbox，perhapssevenincheslongbythreeinchesbroad。
“Where”sthepuzzle？“Iasked。
“Ifyouwillexaminethelidofthebox，youwillsee。”Iturneditoverandover；itwasdifficulttoseewhichwasthelid。ThenIperceivedthatononesidewereprintedthesewords：
“PUZZLE：TOOPENTHEBOX“
ThewordsweresofaintlyprintedthatitwasnotsurprisingthatI
hadnotnoticedthematfirst。Pughexplained。
“Iobservedthatboxonatrayoutsideasecond-handfurnitureshop。Itstruckmyeye。Itookitup。Iexaminedit。Iinquiredoftheproprietoroftheshopinwhatthepuzzlelay。Herepliedthatthatwasmorethanhecouldtellme。Hehimselfhadmadeseveralattemptstoopenthebox，andallofthemhadfailed。I
purchasedit。Itookithome。Ihavetried，andIhavefailed。I
amaware，Tress，ofhowyouprideyourselfuponyouringenuity。I
cannotdoubtthat，ifyoutry，youwillnotfail。”
WhilePughwasprosing，Iwasexaminingthebox。Itwasatleastwellmade。Itweighedcertainlyundertwoounces。Istruckitwithmyknuckles；itsoundedhollow。Therewasnohinge；nothingofanykindtoshowthatiteverhadbeenopened，or，forthematterofthat，thatitevercouldbeopened。ThemoreIexaminedthething，themoreitwhettedmycuriosity。Thatitcouldbeopened，andinsomeingeniousmanner，Imadenodoubt——buthow？
Theboxwasnotanewone。AtaroughguessIshouldsaythatithadbeenaboxforagoodhalfcentury；therewerecertainsignsofageaboutitwhichcouldnotescapeapracticedeye。Haditremainedunopenedallthattime？Whenopened，whatwouldbefoundinside？ItSOUNDEDhollow；probablynothingatall——whocouldtell？
Itwasformedofsmallpiecesofinlaidwood。Severalwoodshadbeenused；someofthemwerestrangetome。Theywereofdifferentcolors；itwasprettyobviousthattheymustallofthemhavebeenhardwoods。Thepieceswereofvariousshapes——hexagonal，octagonal，triangular，square，oblong，andevencircular。Theprocessofinlayingthemhadbeenbeautifullydone。Sonicelyhadthepartsbeenjoinedthatthelinesofmeetingweredifficulttodiscoverwiththenakedeye；theyhadbeenjoinedsolid，sotospeak。Itwasanexcellentexampleofmarquetry。Ihadbeenover-
hastyinmydeprecation；IowedasmuchtoPugh。
“ThisboxofyoursisbetterworthlookingatthanIfirstsupposed。Isittobesold？“
“No，itisnottobesold。Nor“——he“fixed“mewithhisspectacles”isittobegivenaway。Ihavebroughtittoyouforthesimplepurposeofascertainingifyouhaveingenuityenoughtoopenit。”
“Iwillengagetoopenitintwoseconds——withahammer。”
“Idaresay。Iwillopenitwithahammer。Thethingistoopenitwithout。”
“Letmesee。”Ibegan，withtheaidofamicroscope，toexaminetheboxmoreclosely。“Iwillgiveyouonepieceofinformation，Pugh。UnlessIammistaken，thesecretliesinoneoftheselittlepiecesofinlaidwood。Youpushit，oryoupressit，orsomething，andthewholeaffairfliesopen。”
“Suchwasmyownfirstconviction。Iamnotsosureofitnow。I
havepressedeveryseparatepieceofwood；Ihavetriedtomoveeachpieceineverydirection。Noresulthasfollowed。Mytheorywasahiddenspring。”
“Buttheremustbeahiddenspringofsomesort，unlessyouaretoopenitbyamereexerciseofforce。Isupposetheboxisempty。”
“Ithoughtitwasatfirst，butnowIamnotsosureofthateither。Italldependsonthepositioninwhichyouholdit。Holditinthisposition——likethis——closetoyourear。Haveyouasmallhammer？“Itookasmallhammer。“Tapitsoftly，withthehammer。Don”tyounoticeasortofreverberationwithin？“
Pughwasright，therecertainlywassomethingwithin；somethingwhichseemedtoechobackmytapping，almostasifitwerealivingthing。Imentionedthis，toPugh。
“Butyoudon”tthinkthatthereissomethingaliveinsidethebox？
Therecan”tbe。Theboxmustbeairtight，probablyasmuchair-
tightasanexhaustedreceiver。”
“Howdoweknowthat？Howcanwetellthatnominuteintersticeshavebeenleftfortheexpresspurposeofventilation？“I
continuedtappingwiththehammer。Inoticedonepeculiarity，thatitwasonlywhenIheldtheboxinaparticularposition，andtappedatacertainspot，therecametheansweringtapsfromwithin。“Itellyouwhatitis，Pugh，whatIhearisthereverberationofsomemachinery。”
“Doyouthinkso？“
“I”msureofit。”
“Givetheboxtome。”Pughputtheboxtohisear。Hetapped。
“Itsoundstomeliketheechoingtick，tickofsomegreatbeetle；
likethesortofnoisewhichadeathwatchmakes，youknow。”
TrustPughtofindaremarkableexplanationforasimplefact；iftheexplanationleanstowardthesupernatural，somuchthemoresatisfactorytoPugh。Iknewbetter。
“Thesoundwhichyouhearismerelythethrobbingorthetremblingofthemechanismwithwhichitisintendedthattheboxshouldbeopened。Themechanismisplacedjustwhereyouaretappingitwiththehammer。Everytapcausesittojar。”
“Itsoundstomelikethetickingofadeathwatch。However，onsuchsubjects，Tress，Iknowwhatyouare。”
“MydearPugh，giveitanextrahardtap，andyouwillsee。”
Hegaveitanextrahardtap。Themomenthehaddoneso，hestarted。
“I”vedoneitnow。”
“Whathaveyoudone？“
“Brokensomething，Ifancy。”Helistenedintently，withhiseartothebox。“No——itseemsallright。AndyetIcouldhaveswornI
haddamagedsomething；Ihearditsmash。”
“Givemethebox。”Hegaveitme。Inmyturn，Ilistened。I
shookthebox。Pughmusthavebeenmistaken。Nothingrattled；
therewasnotasound；theboxwasasemptyasbefore。Igaveasmarttapwiththehammer，asPughhaddone。Thentherecertainlywasacurioussound。Tomyear，itsoundedlikethesmashingofglass。“Iwonderifthereisanythingfragileinsideyourpreciouspuzzle，Pugh，and，ifso，ifweareshiveringitbydegrees？“
II
“WhatISthatnoise？“
Ilayinbedinthatcuriousconditionwhichisbetweensleepandwaking。When，atlast，IKNEWthatIwasawake，Iaskedmyselfwhatitwasthathadwokeme。SuddenlyIbecameconsciousthatsomethingwasmakingitselfaudibleinthesilenceofthenight。
ForsomesecondsIlayandlistened。ThenIsatupinbed。
“WhatISthatnoise？“
Itwaslikethetick，tickofsomelargeandunusuallyclear-tonedclock。Itmighthavebeenaclock，haditnotbeenthatthesoundwasvaried，everyhalfdozenticksorso，byasortofstifledscreech，suchasmighthavebeenutteredbysomesmallcreatureinanextremityofanguish。Igotoutofbed；itwasridiculoustothinkofsleepduringthecontinuationofthatuncannyshrieking。
Istruckalight。Thesoundseemedtocomefromtheneighborhoodofmydressing-table。Iwenttothedressing-table，thelightedmatchinmyhand，and，asIdidso，myeyesfellonPugh”smysteriousbox。Thatsameinstantthereissued，fromthebowelsofthebox，amoreuncomfortablescreechthananyIhadpreviouslyheard。IttookmesocompletelybysurprisethatIletthematchfallfrommyhandtothefloor。Theroomwasindarkness。I
stood，Iwillnotsaytrembling，listening——consideringtheirvolume——totheEERIESTshrieksIeverheard。Allatoncetheyceased。Thencamethetick，tick，tickagain。Istruckanothermatchandlitthegas。
Pughhadlefthispuzzleboxbehindhim。Wehaddoneallwecould，together，tosolvethepuzzle。HehadleftitbehindtoseewhatI
coulddowithitalone。SomuchhaditengrossedmyattentionthatIhadevenbroughtitintomybedroom，inorderthatImight，beforeretiringtorest，makeafinalattemptatthesolutionofthemystery。NOWwhatpossessedthething？
AsIstood，andlooked，andlistened，onethingbegantobecleartome，thatsomesortofmachineryhadbeensetinmotioninsidethebox。Howithadbeensetinmotionwasanothermatter。Buttheboxhadbeensubjectedtosomuchhandling，tosuchpressingandsuchhammering，thatitwasnotstrangeif，afterall，PughorIhadunconsciouslyhituponthespringwhichsetthewholethinggoing。Possiblythemechanismhadgotsorustythatithadrefusedtoactatonce。Ithadhungfire，andonlyaftersomehourshadsomethingorothersettheimprisonedmotivepowerfree。
Butwhataboutthescreeching？Couldtherebesomelivingcreatureconcealedwithinthebox？WasIlisteningtothecriesofsomesmallanimalinagony？Momentaryreflectionsuggestedthattheexplanationoftheonethingwastheexplanationoftheother。
Rust！——therewasthemystery。Thesamerustwhichhadpreventedthemechanismfromactingatoncewascausingthescreechingnow。
Theuncannysoundswerecausedbynothingmorenorlessthanthewantofadroportwoofoil。SuchanexplanationwouldnothavesatisfiedPugh，itsatisfiedme。
Pickingupthebox，Iplacedittomyear。
“Iwonderhowlongthislittleperformanceisgoingtocontinue。
Andwhatisgoingtohappenwhenitisgoodenoughtocease？I
hope“——anuncomfortablethoughtoccurredtome”IhopePughhasn”tpickedupsomepleasantlittlenoveltyinthewayofaninfernalmachine。Itwouldbeafirst-ratejokeifheandIhadbeenendeavoringtosolvethepuzzleofhowtosetitgoing。”
Idon”tmindowningthatasthisreflectioncrossedmymindI
replacedPugh”spuzzleonthedressing-table。Theideadidnotcommenditselftomeatall。Theboxevidentlycontainedsomecuriousmechanism。Itmightbemorecuriousthancomfortable。
Possiblysomeagreeablelittledeviceinclockwork。Thetick，tick，ticksuggestedclockworkwhichhadbeenplannedtogoacertaintime，andthen——then，forallIknew，igniteanexplosive，and——blowup。ItwouldbeacharmingsolutiontothepuzzleifitweretoexplodewhileIstoodthere，inmynightshirt，lookingon。
Itistruethattheboxweighedverylittle。Probably，asIhavesaid，thewholeaffairwouldnothaveturnedthescaleatacoupleofounces。Butthenitsverylightnessmighthavebeenpartoftheingeniousinventor”slittlegame。Thereareexplosiveswithwhichonecanworkaverysatisfactoryamountofdamagewithconsiderablylessthanacoupleofounces。
WhileIwashesitating——Iownit！——whetherIhadnotbetterimmersePugh”spuzzleinacanofwater，orthrowitoutofthewindow，orcalldownBobwitharequesttoatonceremoveittohisapartment，boththetick，tick，tick，andthescreechingceased，andallwithintheboxwasstill。IfitWASgoingtoexplode，itwasnowornever。InstinctivelyImovedinthedirectionofthedoor。
Iwaitedwithacertainsenseofanxiety。Iwaitedinvain。
Nothinghappened，notevenarenewalofthesound。
“IwishPughhadkepthispreciouspuzzleathome。Thissortofthingtriesone”snerves。”
WhenIthoughtthatIperceivedthatnothingseemedlikelytohappen，Ireturnedtotheneighborhoodofthetable。Ilookedattheboxaskance。Itookitupgingerly。SomethingmightgooffatanymomentforallIknew。ItwouldbetoomuchofajokeifPugh”spreciouspuzzleexplodedinmyhand。Ishookitdoubtfully；
nothingrattled。Iheldittomyear。Therewasnotasound。
Whathadtakenplace？Hadtheclockworkrundown，andwasthemachinearrangedwithsuchadiabolicalingenuitythatacertainintervalwasrequired，aftertheclockworkhadrundown，beforeanexplosioncouldoccur？Orhadrustcausedthemechanismtoagainhangfire？
“Aftermakingallthatcommotionthethingmightatleastcomeopen。”Ibangedtheboxviciouslyagainstthecornerofthetable。
IfeltthatIwouldalmostratherthatanexplosionshouldtakeplacethanthatnothingshouldoccur。Onedoesnotcaretobedisturbedfromone”ssoundslumberinthesmallhoursofthemorningforatrifle。