Show THE T H E BLUE E ILO CIRCLE 1 ra 0 M to ir THE THING SYNOPSIS incapacitated mentally by shook as A result of experiences perien ces during the world war renshaw makes a 4 proposition to david campbell wealthy elderly man of I 1 leisure that tor for a year he be a assume e sum responsibility tor for him renshaw Rena nen haw practically buy him doctor stanley lifelong life long friend of campbells endorses indorses Indor Indo rises ses the proposition which campbell with some borne natural misgivings misgiving accepts the arrangement to that the young man become an inmate of the campbell house bold with the nominal duty of secretary ecret ary renshaw meets verity campbells campbell granddaughter and gets the impression that she does not like him jenks janke tho the butler renshaw also tools feels to distinctly renshaw ranshaw has ha a feeling that tho the servants are spying on him jenks jenka warns him that there are queer things going on in the house that night he to la disturbed by the appearance on the wall of his room of a small email blue circle of light mysterious noises in the corridor outside hta his door cause him to investigate but he discovers nothing unusual his employer aaka him to ignore anything he does doe not understand campbell tells tall renshaw that the household la in in some gome respects ati a but makes light of his bis story of the mysterious sounds renshaw meets madame a foreigner or eigner with an air of mystery 1 CHAPTER IV continued A madame was walking slowly toward the staircase ue he a companies companied compan compa nied led her in silence on uie the lowest step she stopped and looked at him the look was a peculiar one intense doubtful almost sul suspicious ous under it he straightened and ills own eyes hardened as they squarely met liera bers ue he objected to being so obviously weighed by this foreigner and lie he saw BOW no reason why lie he should nut show it her glance changed sudden ly y site she became again the fascinating woman of the dinner hour mr campbell Caro has told me she began graciously in tier her rather Jn hi onty oaty velvet soft voice and excellent english that you will perhaps be ba bo kind hind as to do me a service renshaw Inel inclined hied his head 1 I am hero here to be of use iise he said formally you are so go good madame hooes lefa manner still more she sent a swift glance up lip nil and down the deserted hull hill it Is a mile little journey to the city th thin i OK io went on hurriedly and in n very low tone you will not mind that lint toni orrow morning to dike the lie train nt at ten ocl ocIc and to return tit at five you can be hack back you yon see in time for dinner 1 I am entirely ut tit your service I 1 will get the rest of my instructions InstructIon 4 after breakfast breah last I 1 lie observed in a matter malter of fact tone one and without lowering ills voice its clear pitch seemed to alarm her she looked about apprehensively yes she khe murmured utter after breakfast in the study thank you then lien and alid good night slie she threw in tier her most charming smile with that iut hut iten shaws unaccustomed lips could not return the bin smile lie good night lie he said with grave courtesy and returned to the living room H af e was conscious that she did not at once continue 0 her little journey up the stairs instead site she remained motionless looking loo kling after him ue he opened the door into the long room with tin an actual st nse or of escape and In mediately regretted that lie he had returned verity stil salli at the piano glanced up at the sund fund of his entrance and he vi hicl t her eyes they darkened darke ped ns as it if with annoyance and her smooth brow puckered under the same earne emotion the expression passed as quickly as aa it came but lie interpreted it aright she disliked him as much as lie he disliked her slie she disliked him so much indeed that his casual return to a room she was waa in almost angered her well he would not annoy her long without a second glance at her lie ile crossed the room to campbells side any instructions str sir carobell cambell revealed the fact that he be had not been as drowsy as he had bad teemed seemed AI Madat adamo ne told you just now that she wanted you to go into town tomorrow she yes sir you wont mind no sir of course not why any should ir id hate it like the devil campbell cheerfully admitted A visit to town knocks me out for a month the infernal noise alone to Is a nightmare night mam but bat of course nothing to a 5 young thap chap like you he had forgotten or was deliberately ignoring the young chapa admitted lck lack of nerve firnem and in elther either case wasi wa grateful be included ml dign campbell in his by Ef elizabeth izabeth jordan 0 by the centary co service Ber vlot farewell as he was waar leaving the room but she deemed to have forg forgotten ottin his presence she was trying a new song in an undertone and did not raise her eyes from the notes notel out but the music of her wonderful voice followed him in into to the hall and he be still seemed to hear it as lie went upstairs he entered lila his room with a warning sense of comfort the lights were lit a tire blitzen blitzed in the big fireplace the sheets of his bed had been folded back it was not yet eleven he would read for halt an hour and then he h hoped have a good night nighta sleep soon lie began to feel drowsy and he be turned off the reading lamp but he could still see eee distinctly in ia the fire ut room the house was very quiet quiel nis ills subconscious mind dallied with memories of the day litts bits of campbells confidences fi we wees baby hands the watchfulness of james the footman the hushed bushed throaty voice of madame it was at this instant that he maln observed the blue circle it had appeared as suddenly BS an on the night before but in a different spot on the same wall for a few moments he watched it his fits eyes narrowing with tin nn interest lie had not felt the night before tomorrow lie he must look around and find the source of that ro reflection in the meantime he would once more compose himself for slumber ile he may have slept half nn an hour before lie heard the first sound in the outer hall it was nn an unmistakable sound the sound of a very heavy beavy body falling failing lie he sat ent up with a jerk find a muttered oath that held more impatience than alarm it perfectly expressed his big feelings ile he had find indeed been so reassured by campbells words word that I 1 morning that it was donl quit to feel any nn v emotion but annoy anee ance at this untimely interruption to sleep but the noise in the he hall would not be ignored the rho thing that was making it hod had begun to move to crawl along to pant heavily renshaw pursed his lips and raised his eye brows in tho the gloom of lila fits room lie he could plainly see the transom above ills his door but no reflected gleam came through it the lights in the hall linn bad hern been turned out even it if he rose and opened the door lie he could not clearly see sec what was in the hull hall and it was none of ills his business anyway his mind clung citing to that fact it MIS none of its his busi business I 1 anything that happened in the hall ile he need to get up lie ile want to pet get up in fact the notion of getting up was horrible therefore of course lie ile must pet get up convalescence lie he was as beginning to discover meant doing w inn tiling and all things one particularly did n not 0 I 1 desire to do lie ile rose quietly and without switching on nn it light went noiselessly to the door opening into aie litell and grasped 1 lie 10 kiloh ills intention was to open lint door with okli it quick jerk and thus surprise the lie thing ling that was moving outside but though ho he unconsciously braced himself ns lie he seized the knob knol the door did not yield lie ile exerted nil all his film strength the door held field fast he drew back and stared at it it hil had not yielded for the best and simplest of rensing reason ren song 3 it was waa locked and locked from the outs outside idol tie lie lind had opened ills win windows lows before lie he went to bed the cold night air blowing in ili upon his clad alg figure reminded him tint that ti clr reflections which seemed his sole role recourse could I 1 be indulged in more comfortably in bed than out of it lie ile nent back to bed there seemed nothing else to do ills room lie he lind had already observed lid did not include the convenience of a bell a rather striking omission by file way lie ile listened the tiling thing itself was coming nearer was very near his door was now at the door itself there for a moment it lay motionless though tie he continued to hear tho the panting brent lia it suggested a sick animal a very large and very sick nn all right if it wanted to pant at his door let it pant but in his heart renshaw objected to the thing ne ile objected to that locked door and to an odd sense of helplessness that stole over him he tried to think and evolved only the wild idea that hat possibly old campbell was testing his nerve an idea killed hilled as aa soon as it was born old campbell was waa not that sort the noise outside the door begin began again but now its character had changed toe the knob blob turned softly but persistently apparently the thing outside wanted to get la in other sounds followed scratching gounde sound for a moment he be listened in puzzled confusion unable to interpret them then under his bis breath he swa vw again the thing outside was climbing lie he felt it bump against his door and the bump was heavy and without caution the thing seemed to havo have no objection what whatever eyer to being heard in some way it was waa drawing itself up to the transom there were padded sounds against the glass there seemed to be a definite effort to open the transom ile he was waa sitting up again with unswerving eyes upon that transom and now at last he saw something it was waa a hand and arm very large larga and dark the band clutched clutch eJ avidly but futilely at the top of th the e transom in un an apparent effort to rel ease the catch but the catch was on yeoshawa Reo Ren shaws side aide the transom did not open for another instant the clutching hand moved and even seemed to beckon then it disappeared and simultaneously there was waa again the sound of a heavy fall this time just outside the door that was followed by the crawling sound growing fainter by degrees and then by silence renshaw moistened his lips the situation was simply but his mind worked on oil it with gratifying briskness seemingly the thing whatever it was fell out of some room into the hall yet no animal or human ciniman being heavy enough to make that noise in dropping could possibly crawl through a transom nevertheless the thing had and made an effort to crawl through tits his transom also it had made an effort to open ills his door that seemed sufficient proof that hat the tiling thing itself had not locked his big door some one else had done so who presumably the door had been locked to guard him why and from what and if lie he had to be from some or madman why the devil campbell told him film sol renshaw found no answer to these questions though they occupied ills hla inland to a degree hut flint sleep for a n long time lie ho brooded blooded upon them while rene renewed ived silence settled over the couro then he rose and went to the he door instantly the knob yielded to his hand the llie door swung biuk back beyond it was the reassuring sweep of the long black empty hall 1 and around him film folded the peaceful allonie of u spindly sm adly sleeping household chapter V renshaw asks a Quest question lon ile Kens 1 shaw linw dressed file lie next morning wear wearing ing a certain line hue of ti alon about ills jaws bild nill musing sIng 11 valiant vaian t resolve to keep steady 11 lie lad slept all vil V il when lie wils left to sleet but lie he ad not enjoy ills nights ail lits experience in any moie inore than lie find enjoyed it nt at the time he lantner being in ing locked in ills hn room and 1 lie 11 e that the latter hitter experience at least should not happen to him again lie ile was going to town own that lint lie ile would equip himself while lille vi there with a little kiet iet of tools unit would open any locked door with reasonable promptness also lie would get gc a flashlight a n tr and it few other trifles hints that alint seel lied to fit it neatly into ills now new environment the alertness ness of tits ills mind iii 11 work ing out the aliese plan penns vaguely gratified him until lie began ix km 0 o think about it then ilip die of old ascii s n 0 of lethargy letl crept into his const combined with the self pity whose twin was self contempt tem lit lie ile did not want to think a bout about nil all these complicate lie he wanted peace and a clean cut job but since the undesired elements were forcing thein selves into the situation lie forced ills hla will to the task of meeting them ile he considered the he notton notion of report big the night episodes to campbell a and n d promptly decided against it lie he lind find already had hla his ruling on that point what Is this thing at ren shaws door and what effect Is all this mystery to have on renshaw TO BE CONTINUED |