oms, I mean?"

"They're cheap, for one thing," I began, "and central and--"

"They're too cheap," he interrupted. "Didn't you ask what made 'em so
cheap?"

"It never occurred to me at the time."

There was a pause in which he avoided my eyes.

"For God's sake, go on, man, and tell it!" I cried, for the suspense was
getting more than I could stand in my nervous condition.

"This was where Blount lived so long," he said quietly, "and where
he--died. You know, in the old days I often used to come here and see
him and do what I could to alleviate his--" He stuck fast again.

"Well!" I said with a great effort. "_Please_ go on--faster."

"But," Chapter went on, turning his face to the window with a
perceptible shiver, "he finally got so terrible I simply couldn't stand
it, though I always thought I could stand anything. It got on my nerves
and made me dream, and haunted me day and night."

I stared at him, and said nothing. I had never heard of Blount in my
life, and didn't know what he was talking about. But all the same, I was
trembling, and my mouth had become strangely dry.

"This is the first time I've been back here since," he said almost in a
whisper, "and, 'pon my word, it gives me the creeps. I swear it isn't
fit for a man to live in. I never saw you look so bad, old man."

"I've got it for a year," I jerked out, with a forced laugh; "signed the
lease and all. I thought it was rather a bargain."

Chapter shuddered, and buttoned his overcoat up to his neck. Then he
spoke in a low voice, looking occasionally behind him as though he
thought someone was listening. I too could have sworn someone else was
in the room with us.

"He did it himself, you know, and no one blamed him a bit; his
sufferings were awful. For the last two years he used to wear a veil
when he went out, and even then it was always in a closed carriage. Even
the attendant who had nursed him for so long was at length obliged to
leave. The extremities of both the lower limbs were gone, dropped off,
and he moved about the ground on all fours with a sort of crawling
motion. The odour, too, was--"

I was obliged to interrupt him here. I could hear no more details of
that sort. My skin was moist, I felt hot and cold by turns, for at last
I was beginning to understand.

"Poor devil," Chapter went on; "I used to keep my eyes closed as much as
possible. He always begged to be allowed to take his veil off, and asked
if I minded very much. I use