Page:Weird Tales v01n01 (1923-03).djvu/179

Rh "It may have been imagination," mused Meldrum. "But it looked uncommonly real."

He had turned his steps back in the direction of the town, and was meditating whether or not to communicate his fears to the authorities, when to his relief he saw the tall figure of Needham striding toward him. They stopped to greet one another, and Meldrum hastened to tell the other what he had seen.

"Oh, nonsense!" said Needham, his mustache twitching. "They don't come around houses like that—not in the day time anyway. The place was all right at midday and has been locked up tight ever since. No; you must have imagined it."

He laughed lightly, and in a subconscious kind of way Meldrum seemed to get the impression that the tall man was more anxious to laugh the story off than to continue to discuss it. However, he offered to accompany Needham home and help search the house.

"Just wait there for a moment if you don't mind," said Needham (again with nervous haste, it seemed to Meldrum) "and I'll walk around and have a look a the windows. If they are all right I'll give you a wave."

He hastened off, and after a short interval again made his appearance at the font of the house and waved his hand. Meldrum waved back.

"Everything O. K.?" he asked.

"Quite O. K.," called Needham. "So long, old man. See you later."

Somewhat puzzled, Meldrum set off in the direction of the town.

On the evening of the next day the telephone in Meldrum's sitting room tinkled briskly and Norton's voice came over the line.

"Needham has just phoned down." he said, "and has asked me to go round to his place tonight to get some old African stamps he has hunted out for me. I once asked him if he had any and he promised to get me some. I wish now that I hadn't asked him."

He laughed rather nervously, and then added:

"I wish I'd just said 'no.' for I don't much want to go. However I promised to look in for a few minutes. Would you care to come along if I come round for you?"

"Too busy with examination papers just at the moment," said Meldrum, "and it would bring you out of your way to come over here. It's after eight o'clock now. I might be free about ten and pick you up when I take my usual stroll. How would that do."

Norton said, "All right," and Meldrum hung up the receiver.

As he did so, a strange sense of foreboding came upon him and the vision of the baboon rushed back to his mind. He shook himself in annoyance and resumed his work.

But he could not regain his ease of mind, and after spending nearly an hour in a vain attempt to concentrate on some problems in algebra he closed up his books impatiently and sought his hat and coat.

He stood irresolutely in the hallway for some moments, and then, with a laugh, opened a drawer and drew forth a revolver, which he slipped into his overcoat pocket, after seeing that all its chambers were filled. He laughed again as he descended to the street, but drew some comfort, nevertheless, from the touch of the cold steel upon his hand.

HE night was dark, but the air was clear and invigorating. Meldrum walked smartly in a direction away from Needham's residence, since he was earlier than usual and had but plenty of time to meet Norton, finding that he could not free his mind from an unacountable [sic] anxiety, he swung round presently and made his way to North Avenue.

It did not take him long to reach the house, and as he drew near he observed, with a slight feeling of surprise, that one of the downstairs rooms was illuminated—a room he had never yet seen lighted. It lay toward the rear of the house, its windows facing a broad gallery.

Obeying a sudden impulse, Meldrum, instead of going to the front door, walked quietly along the gallery and peeped through a corner of the blind