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201
Another
thing
that
disturbed
me
was
the
absence
of
a
bolt
on
the
door
of
my
room
.
202
One
had
been
there
,
as
marks
clearly
shewed
,
but
there
were
signs
of
recent
removal
.
No
doubt
it
had
been
out
of
order
,
like
so
many
other
things
in
this
decrepit
edifice
.
In
my
nervousness
I
looked
around
and
discovered
a
bolt
on
the
clothes
press
which
seemed
to
be
of
the
same
size
,
judging
from
the
marks
,
as
the
one
formerly
on
the
door
.
To
gain
a
partial
relief
from
the
general
tension
I
busied
myself
by
transferring
this
hardware
to
the
vacant
place
with
the
aid
of
a
handy
three-inone
device
including
a
screwdriver
which
I
kept
on
my
key-ring
.
The
bolt
fitted
perfectly
,
and
I
was
somewhat
relieved
when
I
knew
that
I
could
shoot
it
firmly
upon
retiring
.
Not
that
I
had
any
real
apprehension
of
its
need
,
but
that
any
symbol
of
security
was
welcome
in
an
environment
of
this
kind
.
There
were
adequate
bolts
on
the
two
lateral
doors
to
connecting
rooms
,
and
these
I
proceeded
to
fasten
.
203
I
did
not
undress
,
but
decided
to
read
till
I
was
sleepy
and
then
lie
down
with
only
my
coat
,
collar
,
and
shoes
off
.
Taking
a
pocket
flash
light
from
my
valise
,
I
placed
it
in
my
trousers
,
so
that
I
could
read
my
watch
if
I
woke
up
later
in
the
dark
.
Drowsiness
,
however
,
did
not
come
;
and
when
I
stopped
to
analyse
my
thoughts
I
found
to
my
disquiet
that
I
was
really
unconsciously
listening
for
something
--
listening
for
something
which
I
dreaded
but
could
not
name
.
That
inspector
's
story
must
have
worked
on
my
imagination
more
deeply
than
I
had
suspected
.
Again
I
tried
to
read
,
but
found
that
I
made
no
progress
.
Отключить рекламу
204
After
a
time
I
seemed
to
hear
the
stairs
and
corridors
creak
at
intervals
as
if
with
footsteps
,
and
wondered
if
the
other
rooms
were
beginning
to
fill
up
.
There
were
no
voices
,
however
,
and
it
struck
me
that
there
was
something
subtly
furtive
about
the
creaking
.
I
did
not
like
it
,
and
debated
whether
I
had
better
try
to
sleep
at
all
.
This
town
had
some
queer
people
,
and
there
had
undoubtedly
been
several
disappearances
.
Was
this
one
of
those
inns
where
travelers
were
slain
for
their
money
?
Surely
I
had
no
look
of
excessive
prosperity
.
Or
were
the
towns
folk
really
so
resentful
about
curious
visitors
?
Had
my
obvious
sightseeing
,
with
its
frequent
map-consultations
,
aroused
unfavorable
notice
.
It
occurred
to
me
that
I
must
be
in
a
highly
nervous
state
to
let
a
few
random
creakings
set
me
off
speculating
in
this
fashion
--
but
I
regretted
none
the
less
that
I
was
unarmed
.
205
At
length
,
feeling
a
fatigue
which
had
nothing
of
drowsiness
in
it
,
I
bolted
the
newly
outfitted
hall
door
,
turned
off
the
light
,
and
threw
myself
down
on
the
hard
,
uneven
bed
--
coat
,
collar
,
shoes
,
and
all
.
In
the
darkness
every
faint
noise
of
the
night
seemed
magnified
,
and
a
flood
of
doubly
unpleasant
thoughts
swept
over
me
.
I
was
sorry
I
had
put
out
the
light
,
yet
was
too
tired
to
rise
and
turn
it
on
again
.
Then
,
after
a
long
,
dreary
interval
,
and
prefaced
by
a
fresh
creaking
of
stairs
and
corridor
,
there
came
that
soft
,
damnably
unmistakable
sound
which
seemed
like
a
malign
fulfillment
of
all
my
apprehensions
.
206
Without
the
least
shadow
of
a
doubt
,
the
lock
of
my
door
was
being
tried
--
cautiously
,
furtively
,
tentatively
--
with
a
key
.
207
My
sensations
upon
recognising
this
sign
of
actual
peril
were
perhaps
less
rather
than
more
tumultuous
because
of
my
previous
vague
fears
.
I
had
been
,
albeit
without
definite
reason
,
instinctively
on
my
guard
--
and
that
was
to
my
advantage
in
the
new
and
real
crisis
,
whatever
it
might
turn
out
to
be
.
Nevertheless
the
change
in
the
menace
from
vague
premonition
to
immediate
reality
was
a
profound
shock
,
and
fell
upon
me
with
the
force
of
a
genuine
blow
.
It
never
once
occurred
to
me
that
the
fumbling
might
be
a
mere
mistake
.
Malign
purpose
was
all
I
could
think
of
,
and
I
kept
deathly
quiet
,
awaiting
the
would-be
intruder
's
next
move
.
Отключить рекламу
208
After
a
time
the
cautious
rattling
ceased
,
and
I
heard
the
room
to
the
north
entered
with
a
pass-key
.
Then
the
lock
of
the
connecting
door
to
my
room
was
softly
tried
.
The
bolt
held
,
of
course
,
and
I
heard
the
floor
creak
as
the
prowler
left
the
room
.
After
a
moment
there
came
another
soft
rattling
,
and
I
knew
that
the
room
to
the
south
of
me
was
being
entered
.
Again
a
furtive
trying
of
a
bolted
connecting
door
,
and
again
a
receding
creaking
.
This
time
the
creaking
went
along
the
hall
and
down
the
stairs
,
so
I
knew
that
the
prowler
had
realised
the
bolted
condition
of
my
doors
and
was
giving
up
his
attempt
for
a
greater
or
lesser
time
,
as
the
future
would
shew
.
209
The
readiness
with
which
I
fell
into
a
plan
of
action
proves
that
I
must
have
been
subconsciously
fearing
some
menace
and
considering
possible
avenues
of
escape
for
hours
.
From
the
first
I
felt
that
the
unseen
fumbler
meant
a
danger
not
to
be
met
or
dealt
with
,
but
only
to
be
fled
from
as
precipitately
as
possible
.
The
one
thing
to
do
was
to
get
out
of
that
hotel
alive
as
quickly
as
I
could
,
and
through
some
channel
other
than
the
front
stairs
and
lobby
.
210
Rising
softly
and
throwing
my
flashlight
on
the
switch
,
I
sought
to
light
the
bulb
over
my
bed
in
order
to
choose
and
pocket
some
belongings
for
a
swift
,
valiseless
flight
.
Nothing
,
however
,
happened
;
and
I
saw
that
the
power
had
been
cut
off
.
Clearly
,
some
cryptic
,
evil
movement
was
afoot
on
a
large
scale
--
just
what
,
I
could
not
say
.
As
I
stood
pondering
with
my
hand
on
the
now
useless
switch
I
heard
a
muffled
creaking
on
the
floor
below
,
and
thought
I
could
barely
distinguish
voices
in
conversation
.
A
moment
later
I
felt
less
sure
that
the
deeper
sounds
were
voices
,
since
the
apparent
hoarse
barkings
and
loose-syllabled
croakings
bore
so
little
resemblance
to
recognized
human
speech
.
Then
I
thought
with
renewed
force
of
what
the
factory
inspector
had
heard
in
the
night
in
this
mouldering
and
pestilential
building
.