A THUMB-PRiyT AXD WHAT CAME OF IT, 309
he clutched at me, and my blue goggles remained in his hand; and
away plunged the beast dragging him, with his foot in the stirrup.
I fled through the woods, and made good my escape, leaving the
accusing goggles behind me in that dead man's hand.
This was fifteen or sixteen years ago. Since then I have -wandered
aimlessly about the earth, sometimes at work, sometimes idle; some-
times with money, sometimes with none; but always tired of life,
and wishing it was done, for my mission here was finished, with the
act of that night; and the only pleasure, solace, satisfaction I had, in
all those tedious years, was in the daily reflection, * I have killed him!'
Four years ago, my health began to fail. I had wandered into
Munich, in my purposeless way. Being out of money, I sought work,
and got it; did my duty faithfully about a year, and was then given
the berth of night watchman yonder in that dead-house which you
visited lately. The place suited my mood. I liked it. I liked being
with the dead—liked being alone with them. I used to wander
among those rigid corpses, and peer into their austere faces, by the
hour. The later the time, the more impressive it was; I preferred
the late time. Sometimes I turned the lights low: this gave per-
spective, you see ; and the imagination could play; always, the dim
receding ranks of the dead inspired one with weird and fascinating
fancies. Two years ago—I had been there a year then—I was sitting
all alone in the watch-room, one gusty winter's night, chilled, numb,
comfortless; drowsing gradually into unconsciousness; the sobbing
of the wind and the slamming of distant shutters falling fainter and
fainter upon my dulling ear each moment, when sharp and suddenly
that dead-bell rang out a blood-curdling alarum over my head ! The
shock of it nearly paralysed me; for it was the first time I had ever
heard it.
I gathered myself together and flew to the corpse-room. About
midway down the outside rank, a shrouded figure was sitting upright,
wagging its head slowly from one side to the oiiher—a grisly spectacle!
Its side was toward me. I hurried to it and peered into its face.
Heavens, it was Adler !
Can you divine what my first thought was t Put into words, it
was this: * It seems, then, you escaped me once: there will be
ferent result this time i *