an—he was a tall fellahîn—by the shoulder, and sent him spinning across the mosaic floor of the mandarah. The air was heavy with the perfume of ambergris.

Wasting no word upon the reeling man, Dr. Cairn stepped to the doorway. He jerked the drapery aside and found himself in a dark corridor. From his son’s 杭州洗浴全套按摩 description of the chambers he had no difficulty in recognising the door of the study.

He turned the handle—the door proved to be unlocked—and entered the darkened room.

In the grate a huge fire glowed redly; the temperature of the place was almost unbearable. On the table the light from the silver lamp shed a patch of radiance, but the rest of the study was veiled in shadow.

A black-robed figure was seated in a high-backed, carved chair; one corner of the cowl-like garment was
[46]
thrown across 杭州按摩好地方 the table. Half rising, the figure turned—and, an evil apparition in the glow from the fire, Antony Ferrara faced the intruder.

Dr. Cairn walked forward, until he stood over the other.

“Uncover what you have on the table,” he said succinctly.

Ferrara’s strange eyes were uplifted to the speaker’s with an expression in their depths which, in the Middle Ages, alone would have sent a man to the stake.

“Dr. Cairn—”

The husky voice had lost something of its suavity.

“You heard my order!”

“Your 杭州家庭式会所 order! Surely, doctor, since I am in my own—”

“Uncover what you have on the table. Or must I do so for you!”

Antony Ferrara placed his hand upon the end of the black robe which lay across the table.

“Be careful, Dr. Cairn,” he said evenly. “You—are taking risks.”

Dr. Cairn suddenly leapt, seized the shielding hand in a sure 杭州足浴按摩论坛 grip and twisted Ferrara’s arm behind him. Then, with a second rapid movement, he snatched away the robe.

A faint smell—a smell of corruption, of ancient rottenness—arose on the superheated air.

A square of faded linen lay on the table, figured with all but indecipherable Egyptian characters, and upon it, in rows which formed a definite geometrical design, were arranged a great number of little, black insects.

Dr. Cairn released the hand which he held, and Ferrara sat quite still, looking straight 杭州桑拿按摩特服 before him.

“Dermestes beetles! from the skull of a mummy! You filthy, obscene beast!”

Ferrara spoke, with a calm suddenly regained:

“Is there anything obscene in the study of beetles?”

“My son saw these things here yesterday; and last night, and again to-night, you cast magnified doubles—glamours—of the horrible creatures into 滨江哪里足浴是荤的 his rooms! By means which you know of, but which I know of,
[47]
too, you sought to bring your thought-things down to the material plane.”

“Dr. Cairn, my respect for you is great; but I fear that much study has made you mad.”

Ferrara reached out his hand towards an ebony box; he was smiling.

“Don’t dare to touch that box!”

He paused, glancing up.

“More orders, doctor?”

“Exactly.”

Dr. Cairn grabbed the faded linen, scooping up the beetles within it, and, striding across the room, threw 杭州龙凤后花园网 the whole unsavoury