登陆注册
15490900000052

第52章 THE STOLEN BODY(5)

Faces like those faces that glare with intolerable strangeness upon the sleeper in the evil hours of his dreams. Evil, greedy eyes that were full of a covetous curiosity, faces with knit brows and snarling, smiling lips; their vague hands clutched at Mr. Bessel as he passed, and the rest of their bodies was but an elusive streak of trailing darkness. Never a word they said, never a sound from the mouths that seemed to gibber. All about him they pressed in that dreamy silence, passing freely through the dim mistiness that was his body, gathering ever more numerously about him. And the shadowy Mr. Bessel, now suddenly fear-stricken, drove through the silent, active multitude of eyes and clutching hands.

So inhuman were these faces, so malignant their staring eyes, and shadowy, clawing gestures, that it did not occur to Mr. Bessel to attempt intercourse with these drifting creatures. Idiot phantoms, they seemed, children of vain desire, beings unborn and forbidden the boon of being, whose only expressions and gestures told of the envy and craving for life that was their one link with existence.

It says much for his resolution that, amidst the swarming cloud of these noiseless spirits of evil, he could still think of Mr. Vincey.

He made a violent effort of will and found himself, he knew not how, stooping towards Staple Inn, saw Vincey sitting attentive and alert in his arm-chair by the fire.

And clustering also about him, as they clustered ever about all that lives and breathes, was another multitude of these vain voiceless shadows, longing, desiring, seeking some loophole into life.

For a space Mr. Bessel sought ineffectually to attract his friend's attention. He tried to get in front of his eyes, to move the objects in his room, to touch him. But Mr. Vincey remained unaffected, ignorant of the being that was so close to his own. The strange something that Mr. Bessel has compared to a sheet of glass separated them impermeably.

And at last Mr. Bessel did a desperate thing. I have told how that in some strange way he could see not only the outside of a man as we see him, but within. He extended his shadowy hand and thrust his vague black fingers, as it seemed, through the heedless brain.

Then, suddenly, Mr. Vincey started like a man who recalls his attention from wandering thoughts, and it seemed to Mr. Bessel that a little dark-red body situated in the middle of Mr. Vincey's brain swelled and glowed as he did so. Since that experience he has been shown anatomical figures of the brain, and he knows now that this is that useless structure, as doctors call it, the pineal eye. For, strange as it will seem to many, we have, deep in our brains--where it cannot possibly see any earthly light--an eye! At the time this, with the rest of the internal anatomy of the brain, was quite new to him. At the sight of its changed appearance, however, he thrust forth his finger, and, rather fearful still of the consequences, touched this little spot. And instantly Mr. Vincey started, and Mr. Bessel knew that he was seen.

And at that instant it came to Mr. Bessel that evil had happened to his body, and behold! a great wind blew through all that world of shadows and tore him away. So strong was this persuasion that he thought no more of Mr. Vincey, but turned about forthwith, and all the countless faces drove back with him like leaves before a gale.

But he returned too late. In an instant he saw the body that he had left inert and collapsed--lying, indeed, like the body of a man just dead--had arisen, had arisen by virtue of some strength and will beyond his own. It stood with staring eyes, stretching its limbs in dubious fashion.

For a moment he watched it in wild dismay, and then he stooped towards it. But the pane of glass had closed against him again, and he was foiled. He beat himself passionately against this, and all about him the spirits of evil grinned and pointed and mocked.

He gave way to furious anger. He compares himself to a bird that has fluttered heedlessly into a room and is beating at the window-pane that holds it back from freedom.

And behold! the little body that had once been his was now dancing with delight. He saw it shouting, though he could not hear its shouts; he saw the violence of its movements grow. He watched it fling his cherished furniture about in the mad delight of existence, rend his books apart, smash bottles, drink heedlessly from the jagged fragments, leap and smite in a passionate acceptance of living.

He watched these actions in paralysed astonishment. Then once more he hurled himself against the impassable barrier, and then with all that crew of mocking ghosts about him, hurried back in dire confusion to Vincey to tell him of the outrage that had come upon him.

But the brain of Vincey was now closed against apparitions, and the disembodied Mr. Bessel pursued him in vain as he hurried out into Holborn to call a cab. Foiled and terror-stricken, Mr. Bessel swept back again, to find his desecrated body whooping in a glorious frenzy down the Burlington Arcade. . . .

And now the attentive reader begins to understand Mr. Bessel's interpretation of the first part of this strange story. The being whose frantic rush through London had inflicted so much injury and disaster had indeed Mr. Bessel's body, but it was not Mr. Bessel.

It was an evil spirit out of that strange world beyond existence, into which Mr. Bessel had so rashly ventured. For twenty hours it held possession of him, and for all those twenty hours the dispossessed spirit-body of Mr. Bessel was going to and fro in that unheard-of middle world of shadows seeking help in vain. He spent many hours beating at the minds of Mr. Vincey and of his friend Mr. Hart.

同类推荐
  • 念佛三昧

    念佛三昧

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 吕祖三尼医世说述管窥

    吕祖三尼医世说述管窥

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 谈辂

    谈辂

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 太上日月混元经

    太上日月混元经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 台湾割据志

    台湾割据志

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 乱古醉仙

    乱古醉仙

    身怀异血,背负神秘家族的使命。体内神秘的枯藤,玄妙无比的调酒术......且看少年卫泽,重生异界,逆行修仙,破生死,证仙道!
  • 都市之危机

    都市之危机

    二零二零年,世界陷入了一场史无前例的危机,后果如何,敬请期待......!!!!
  • 雨花香

    雨花香

    全书共四十种,每种由一个故事或若干故事组成,其中有揭露贪官污吏的,有表彰济世救贫的,有鞭挞乱施淫威的,有描写忠孝仁义的,等等。作者又能根据某些事实,总结出一些警世格言,甚是令人深思,给人以启迪。
  • 永恒魔皇

    永恒魔皇

    千年前三皇治世,五帝独尊,强者辈出,天才涌现。然而盛极一时的三大皇朝和纵横天下的五位帝尊却是在一夕之间全部消失。千年后,五帝之一的魔帝,重生在了少年赵昊的身上,看着现今统领天下的神宫,魔殿,赵昊眼中浮现出了仇恨的火焰:“我赵昊……又回来了!”
  • 相思谋:妃常难娶

    相思谋:妃常难娶

    某日某王府张灯结彩,婚礼进行时,突然不知从哪冒出来一个小孩,对着新郎道:“爹爹,今天您的大婚之喜,娘亲让我来还一样东西。”说完提着手中的玉佩在新郎面前晃悠。此话一出,一府宾客哗然,然当大家看清这小孩与新郎如一个模子刻出来的面容时,顿时石化。此时某屋顶,一个绝色女子不耐烦的声音响起:“儿子,事情办完了我们走,别在那磨矶,耽误时间。”新郎一看屋顶上的女子,当下怒火攻心,扔下新娘就往女子所在的方向扑去,吼道:“女人,你给本王站住。”一场爱与被爱的追逐正式开始、、、、、、、
  • 许你来世

    许你来世

    杀人凶手制造的事故,让她掉在雪山上,开始了一去不返的壮士路。
  • 卿本佳人之妖孽找上门

    卿本佳人之妖孽找上门

    前世,她乃绝世忠狗一枚。他让她向东,她绝逼不敢往西,他让她舔骨头,她绝逼不敢把骨头吞下去。前世,她乃绝世痴情种一枚。他夜夜笙歌,佳人在怀,寻花问柳,美妾成群。她浴血杀敌,一腔孤勇,伤痕累累也换不来他一句慰问。前世,她乃冷情杀手一枚。他让她杀的人,她绝对不会留人性命,包括她最亲近的妹妹她都能眉头不皱一鞭挥下去。他是她的神,她是他的神经病。可是为什么呢?(本文纯属虚构,请勿模仿。)
  • 杀戮拼图

    杀戮拼图

    有一个女人,她与平常人几乎无差,没有人知道她的真实身份有两个孩子,普普通通的兄妹两个,无意中卷入了死亡的游戏警察称这两个孩子为幸存者警察称那个女人为现实电锯女人模仿着电锯惊魂的手法执行着属于她的正义下面我说一下哈,虽然是模仿的电锯惊魂的杀人手法,不过不管是从游戏的布局或者杀人的手法我都不会抄袭电锯惊魂的,电锯惊魂就好像无法愉悦的高度,我只是在模仿,希望喜欢血腥文的人喜欢
  • 侠武论道

    侠武论道

    独叹首,听烟雨细腻,飘絮如织,牵银丝,化容妆,笑忘君,莫回头。黄粱一梦,醉醒颠簸,阅离合,悲欢化作弄影枝,痴人说笑笑人痴,不觉笼里笼外?他山不憩,似是故人,望川流,轮回往复谁罔谁,最难糊涂。
  • 天之神迹

    天之神迹

    这是一神幻大陆,没有科技,没有斗气,没有武魂,只有神气幻气,看废材少年站在世界的巅峰!