Idismissedtheungenerousthought。Perhapsheisrich，ashesays。Wedohearofmunificentdonationsbybenevolentmillionairesnowandthen。WhatifthisAustralian，attractedbythegloriesoftheoldcathedral，shouldnowappearasadeusexmachinatoreendowthechoir，ortofoundamusicalprofessoriateinconnectionwiththechoir，appointingmethefirstoccupantoftheprofessorialchair？
　　Thesethoughtsflashedacrossmymindinthemomentarypauseofhisfluenttongue。
　　“Asforyourself，sir，“hebeganagain，“IhavesomethingtoproposewhichItrustmaynotproveunwelcome。Butthepublicstreetishardlyasuitableplacetodiscussmyproposal。MayI
　　calluponyouthiseveningatyourhouseintheclose？Iknowwhichitis，forIhappenedtoseeyougointoityesterdayafterthemorningservice。”
　　“Ishallbeverypleasedtoseeyou，“Ireplied。“Wearegoingouttodinnerthisevening，butIshallbeathomeanddisengagedtillaboutseven。”
　　“Thankyouverymuch。ThenIshalldomyselfthepleasureofcallinguponyouaboutsixo”clock。Tillthen，farewell！“A
　　gracefulwaveofthehand，andmyunknownfriendhaddisappearedroundthecornerofthestreet。
　　Nowatlast，Ithought，somethingisgoingtohappeninmyuneventfullife——somethingtobreakthemonotonyofexistence。Ofcourse，hemusthaveinquiredmyname——hecouldgetthatfromanyofthecathedralvergers——and，ashesaid，hehadobservedwhereaboutsinthecloseIlived。Whatishecomingtoseemefor？
　　Iwondered。Ispenttherestoftheafternooninmakingthewildestsurmises。Iwascastle-buildinginSpainatafuriousrate。AtonetimeIimaginedthatthisfaithfulsonofthechurch——
　　asheappearedtome——wasgoingtobuildandendowagrandcathedralinAustraliaonconditionthatIshouldbeappointeddeanatayearlystipendof，say，tenthousandpounds。Orperhaps，I
　　saidtomyself，hewillbegmetoacceptasumofmoney——Ineverthoughtofitaslessthanathousandpounds——asaslightrecognitionofandtributetomyremarkablevocalability。
　　Itookalong，lonelywalkintothecountrytocorrecttheseridiculousfanciesandtosteadymymind，andwhenIreachedhomeandhadrefreshedmyselfwithaquietcupofafternoontea，IfeltIwasmorallyandphysicallypreparedformyinterviewwiththeopulentstranger。
　　Punctuallyasthecathedralclockstrucksixtherewasaringatthevisitor”sbell。Inamomentortwomyunknownfriendwasshownintothedrawing-room，whichheenteredwiththeeasyairofamanoftheworld。Inoticedhewascarryingasmallblackbag。
　　“Howdoyoudoagain，Mr。Dale？“hesaidasthoughwewereoldacquaintances；“youseeIhavecomesharptomytime。”
　　“Yes，“Ianswered，“andIampleasedtoseeyou；dositdown。”Hesankintomybestarmchair，andplacedhisbagonthefloorbesidehim。
　　“Sincewemetintheafternoon，“hesaid，“Ihavewrittenalettertoyourdean，expressingthegreatpleasureIfeltinlisteningtoyourchoir，andatthesametimeIinclosedafive-poundnote，whichIbeggedhimtodivideamongthechoirboysandmen，fromAlexanderPoulter，Esq。，ofPoulter”sPills。Youhaveofcourseheardoftheworld-renownedPoulter”sPills。IamPoulter！“
　　PoulterofPoulter”sPills！Myheartsankwithinme！Afive-poundnote！Myairycastlesweretottering！
　　“Ialsosenthimacoupleofhundredofmypamphlets，whichIsaidItrustedhewouldbesokindastodistributeintheclose。”
　　Iwasaghast！
　　“Andnow，withregardtothespecialobjectofmycall，Mr。Dale。
　　Ifyouwillallowmetosayso，youarenotmakingthemostofthatgrandvoiceofyours；youarehiddenunderanecclesiasticalbushelhere——losttotheworld。Youarewastingyourvocalstrengthandsweetnessonthedesertair，sotospeak。Why，ifImayhazardaguess，Idon”tsupposeyoumakefivehundredayearhere，attheoutside？
　　Icouldsaynothing。
　　“Well，now，Icanputyouintothewayofmakingatleastthreeorfourtimesasmuchasthat。Listen！IamAlexanderPoulter，ofPoulter”sPills。Ihaveaproposaltomaketoyou。Theschemeisboundtosucceed，butIwantyourhelp。Acceptmyproposalandyourfortune”smade。DidyoueverhearMoodyandSankey？“heaskedabruptly。
　　Themanisanidiot，thoughtI；heisnowfairlycarriedawaywithhisparticularmania。Willitlastlong？ShallIring？
　　“Novelty，mydearsir，“hewenton，“istheruleoftheday；andtheremustbenoveltyinadvertising，asineverythingelse，tocatchthepublicinterest。SoIintendtogoonatour，lecturingonthemeritsofPoulter”sPillsinalltheprincipalhallsofalltheprincipaltownsallovertheworld。ButIhavebeendelayedincarryingoutmyideatillIcouldassociatemyselfwithagentlemansuchasyourself。Willyoujoinme？IshouldbetheMoodyofthetour；youwouldbeitsSankey。Iwouldspeakmypatter，andyouwouldinterspersemyorationswithmelodiousballadsbearinguponthevirtuesofPoulter”sPills。Theballadsareallready！“
　　Sosaying，heopenedthatbaganddrewforthfromitsrecessesnothingmorealarmingthanathickrollofmanuscriptmusic。
　　“Theversesaremyown，“hesaid，withalittletouchofpride；
　　“andasforthemusic，Ithoughtitbettertomakeuseofpopularmelodies，soastoenableanaudiencetojoininthechorus。See，hereisoneoftheballads：”Darling，Iambetternow。”Itdescribesthewoesofafondlover，orratherhisphysicalailments，untilhewentthroughacourseofPoulter。Here”sanother：”I”mninety-five！I”mninety-five！”Youcatchthedriftofthat，ofcourse——ahealthyoldage，securedbytakingPoulter”sPills。Ah！what”sthis？”Littlesister”slastrequest。”IfancytheideaofthatistobegthefamilynevertobewithoutPoulter”sPills。Hereagain：”Thenyou”llrememberme！”I”mafraidthattitleisnotoriginal；nevermind，thesongis。Andhereis——buttherearemanymore，andIwon”tdetainyouwiththemnow。”Hesaw，perhaps，Iwasgettingimpatient。ThankHeaven，however，hewasnoescapedlunatic。Iwassafe！
　　“Mr。Poulter，“saidI，“Itookyouthisafternoonforadisinterestedandphilanthropicmillionaire；youtakemefor——for——
　　somethingdifferentfromwhatIam。Wehavebothmademistakes。
　　Inaword，itisimpossibleformetoacceptyouroffer！“
　　“Isthatfinal？“askedPoulter。
　　“Certainly，“saidI。
　　Poultergatheredhismanuscriptstogetherandreplacedtheminthebag，andgotuptoleavetheroom。
　　“Goodevening，Mr。Dale，“hesaidmournfully，asIopenedthedooroftheroom。“Goodevening“——hekeptontalkingtillhewasfairlyoutofthehouse”markmywords，you”llbesorry——verysorry——onedaythatyoudidnotfallinwithmyscheme。Offerslikeminedon”tcomeeveryday，andyouwillonedayregrethavingrefusedit。”
　　Withthesewordsheleftthehouse。
　　Ihadlittleappetiteformydinnerthatevening。
　　ThePipe“RANDOLPHCRESCENT，N。W。
　　MYDEARPUGH——IhopeyouwilllikethepipewhichIsendwiththis。
　　ItisratheracuriousexampleofacertainschoolofIndiancarving。Andisapresentfrom“Yourstruly，JOSEPHTRESS。”
　　ItwasreallyveryhandsomeofTress——veryhandsome！ThemoreespeciallyasIwasawarethattogivepresentswasnotexactlyinTress”sline。ThetruthisthatwhenIsawwhatmannerofpipeitwasIwasamazed。Itwascontainedinasandalwoodbox，whichwasitselfillustratedwithsomeremarkablespecimensofcarving。I
　　usetheword“remarkable“advisedly，because，althoughtheworkmanshipwasundoubtedly，initsway，artistic，theresultcouldnotbedescribedasbeautiful。ThecarverhadthoughtpropertoornamenttheboxwithsomeoftheugliestfiguresIremembertohaveseen。Theyappearedtometobedevils。Orperhapstheywereintendedtorepresentdeitiesappertainingtosomemythologicalsystemwithwhich，thankgoodness，Iamunacquainted。Thepipeitselfwasworthyofthecaseinwhichitwascontained。Itwasofmeerschaum，withanambermouthpiece。Itwasrathertoolargeforordinarysmoking。Butthen，ofcourse，onedoesn”tsmokeapipelikethat。TherearepipesinmycollectionwhichIshouldassoonthinkofsmokingasIshouldofeating。AskachinamaniactoletyouhaveafternoonteaoutofhisOldChelsea，andyouwilllearnsomehometruthsastothedurabilityofhumanfriendships。Thegloryofthepipe，asTresshadsuggested，layinitscarving。NotthatIclaimthatitwasbeautiful，anymorethanImakesuchaclaimforthecarvingonthebox，but，asTresssaidinhisnote，itwascurious。
　　Thestemandthebowlwerequiteplain，butontheedgeofthebowlwasperchedsomekindoflizard。ItoldmyselfitwasanoctopuswhenIfirstsawit，butIhavesincehadreasontobelievethatitwassomealmostuniquememberofthelizardtribe。Thecreaturewasrepresentedasclimbingovertheedgeofthebowldowntowardthestem，anditslegs，orfeelers，ortentacula，orwhateverthethingsarecalled，were，ifImayuseavulgarism，sprawlingabout“allovertheplace。”Forinstance，twoorthreeofthemweretwinedaboutthebowl，twoorthreeofthemweretwistedroundthestem，andone，aparticularlyhorribleone，wasupliftedintheair，sothatifyouputthepipeinyourmouththethingwaspointingstraightatyournose。
　　Nottheleastagreeablefeatureaboutthecreaturewasthatitwashideouslylifelike。Itappearedtohavebeencarvedinamber，butsomecoloringmattermusthavebeenintroduced，forinsidetheamberthecreaturewasofapeculiarlyghastlygreen。ThemoreI
　　examinedthepipethemoreamazedIwasatTress”sgenerosity。HeandIarerivalcollectors。Iamnotgoingtosay，insomanywords，thathiscollectionofpipescontainsnothingbutrubbish，because，asamatteroffact，hehastwoorthreeratherdecentspecimens。Buttocomparehiscollectiontominewouldbeabsurd。
　　Tressisconsciousofthis，andheresentsit。Heresentsittosuchanextentthathehasbeenknown，atleastononeoccasion，todeclarethatonesinglepipeofhis——IbelievehealludedtotheBrummagemrelicpreposterouslyattributedtoSirWalterRaleigh——
　　wasworththewholeofmycollectionputtogether。AlthoughIhaveforgottenthis，asIhopeIalwaysshallforgiveremarksmadewhenenviouspassionsgetthebetterofournoblernature，evenofaJosephTress，itisnottobesupposedthatIhaveforgottenit。
　　Hewas，therefore，notatallthesortofpersonfromwhomI
　　expectedtoreceiveapresent。Andsuchapresent！Idonotbelievethathehimselfhadafinerpipeinhiscollection。Andtohavegivenittome！Ihadmisjudgedtheman。Iwonderedwherehehadgotitfrom。Ihadseenhispipes；Iknewthemoffbyheart——
　　andsomenicetrumperyhehasamongthem，too！butIhadneverseenTHATpipebefore。ThemoreIlookedatit，themoremyamazementgrew。Thebeastperchedupontheedgeofthebowlwassolifelike。
　　Itstwobead-likeeyesseemedtogleamatmewithpositivelyhumanintelligence。ThepipefascinatedmetosuchanextentthatI
　　actuallyresolvedto——smokeit！
　　IfilleditwithPerique。OrdinarilyIuseBirdseye，butonthoseveryrareoccasionsonwhichIuseaspecimenIsmokePerique。I
　　litupwithquiteasmallsensationofexcitement。AsIdidsoI
　　keptmyeyesperforcefixeduponthebeast。Thebeastpointeditsupraisedtentacledirectlyatme。AsIinhaledthepungenttobaccothattentacleimpressedmewithafeelingofactualuncanniness。
　　Itwasbroaddaylight，andIwassmokinginfrontofthewindow，yettosuchanextentwasIaffectedthatitseemedtomethatthetentaclewasnotonlyvibrating，which，owingtothepeculiarityofitsposition，wasquitewithintherangeofprobability，butactuallymoving，elongating——stretchingforward，thatis，farthertowardme，andtowardthetipofmynose。SoimpressedwasIbythisideathatItookthepipeoutofmymouthandminutelyexaminedthebeast。Really，thedelusionwasexcusable。Socunninglyhadtheartistwroughtthathesucceededinproducingacreaturewhich，suchwasitsuncanniness，Icouldonlyhopehadnooriginalinnature。
　　ReplacingthepipebetweenmylipsItookseveralwhiffs。Neverhadsmokinghadsuchaneffectonmebefore。Eitherthepipe，orthecreatureonit，exercisedsomesingularfascination。Iseemed，withoutaninstant”swarning，tobepassingintosomelandofdreams。Isawthebeast，whichwaspercheduponthebowl，writheandtwist。Isawitliftitselfbodilyfromthemeerschaum。
　　II
　　“Feelingbetternow？“
　　Ilookedup。JosephTresswasspeaking。
　　“What”sthematter？HaveIbeenill？“
　　“Youappeartohavebeeninsomekindofswoon。”Tress”stonewaspeculiar，evenalittledry。
　　“Swoon！Ineverwasguiltyofsuchathinginmylife。”
　　“NorwasI，untilIsmokedthatpipe。”
　　Isatup。TheactofsittingupmademeconsciousofthefactthatIhadbeenlyingdown。Conscious，too，thatIwasfeelingmorethanalittledazed。ItseemedasthoughIwaswakingoutofsomestrange，lethargicsleep——akindoffeelingwhichIhavereadofandheardabout，butneverbeforeexperienced。
　　“WhereamI？“
　　“You”reonthecouchinyourownroom。YouWEREonthefloor；butIthoughtitwouldbebettertopickyouupandplaceyouonthecouch——thoughnooneperformedthesamekindofficetomewhenI
　　wasonthefloor。”
　　AgainTress”stonewasdistinctlydry。
　　“HowcameYOUhere？“
　　“Ah，that”sthequestion。”Herubbedhischin——ahabitofhiswhichhasannoyedmemorethanoncebefore。“Doyouthinkyou”resufficientlyrecoveredtoenableyoutounderstandalittlesimpleexplanation？“Istaredathim，amazed。Hewentonstrokinghischin。“ThetruthisthatwhenIsentyouthepipeImadeaslightomission。”
　　“Anomission？“
　　“Iomittedtoadviseyounottosmokeit。”
　　“Andwhy？“
　　“Because——well，I”vereasontobelievethethingisdrugged。”
　　“Drugged！“
　　“Orpoisoned。”
　　“Poisoned！“Iwaswideawakeenoughthen。Ijumpedoffthecouchwithaceleritywhichprovedit。
　　“Itisthisway。Ibecameitsownerinratherasingularmanner。”
　　Hepaused，asifformetomakearemark；butIwassilent。“ItisnotoftenthatIsmokeaspecimen，but，forsomereason，Ididsmokethis。Icommencedtosmokeit，thatis。HowlongI
　　continuedtosmokeitismorethanIcansay。Ithadonmethesamepeculiareffectwhichitappearstohavehadonyou。WhenI
　　recoveredconsciousnessIwaslyingonthefloor。”
　　“Onthefloor？“
　　“Onthefloor。Inaboutasuncomfortableapositionasyoucaneasilyconceive。Iwaslyingfacedownward，withmylegsbentunderme。IwasneversosurprisedinmylifeasIwaswhenI
　　foundmyselfWHEREIwas。AtfirstIsupposedthatIhadhadastroke。ButbydegreesitdawneduponmethatIdidn”tFEELasthoughIhadhadastroke。”Tress，bytheway，hasbeenanarmysurgeon。“Iwasconsciousofdistinctnausea。Lookingabout，I
　　sawthepipe。Withmeithadfallenontothefloor。Itookitforgranted，consideringthedelicacyofthecarving，thatthefallhadbrokenit。ButwhenIpickeditupIfounditquiteuninjured。
　　WhileIwasexaminingitathoughtflashedtomybrain。Mightitnotbeanswerableforwhathadhappenedtome？Suppose，forinstance，itwasdrugged？Ihadheardofsuchthings。Besides，inmycasewerepresentallthesymptomsofdrugpoisoning，thoughwhatdrughadbeenusedIcouldn”tintheleastconceive。I
　　resolvedthatIwouldgivethepipeanothertrial。”
　　“Onyourself？oronanotherparty，meaningme？“
　　“Onmyself，mydearPugh——onmyself！AtthatpointofmyinvestigationsIhadnotbeguntothinkofyou。Ilitupandhadanothersmoke。”
　　“Withwhatresult？“
　　“Well，thatdependsonthestandpointfromwhichyouregardthething。Fromonepointofviewtheresultwaswhollysatisfactory——
　　Iprovedthatthethingwasdrugged，andmore。”
　　“Didyouhaveanotherfall？“
　　“Idid。Andsomethingelsebesides。”
　　“Onthataccount，Ipresume，youresolvedtopassthetreasureontome？“
　　“Partlyonthataccount，andpartlyonanother。”
　　“Onmyword，Iappreciateyourgenerosity。Youmighthavelabeledthethingaspoison。”
　　“Exactly。ButthenyoumustrememberhowoftenyouhavetoldmethatyouNEVERsmokeyourspecimens。”
　　“Thatwasnoreasonwhyyoushouldn”thavegivenmeahintthatthethingwasmoredangerousthandynamite。”
　　“Thatdidoccurtomeafterwards。ThereforeIcalledtosupplytheslightomission。”
　　“SLIGHTomission，youcallit！Iwonderwhatyouwouldhavecalleditifyouhadfoundmedead。”
　　“IfIhadknownthatyouINTENDEDsmokingitIshouldnothavebeenatallsurprisedifIhad。”
　　“Really，Tress，Iappreciateyourkindnessmoreandmore！Andwhereisthisexampleofyoursplendidbenevolence？Haveyoupocketedit，regrettingyourlapseintotheunaccustomedpathsofgenerosity？Orisitsmashedtoatoms？“
　　“Neithertheonenortheother。Youwillfindthepipeuponthetable。Ineitherdesireitsrestorationnorisitinanywayinjured。ItismerelyanexpressionofpersonalopinionwhenIsaythatIdon”tbelievethatitCOULDbeinjured。Ofcourse，havingdiscovereditsdeleteriousproperties，youwillnotwanttosmokeitagain。YouwillthereforebeabletoenjoytheconsciousnessofbeingthepossessorofwhatIhonestlybelievetobethemostremarkablepipeinexistence。Goodday，Pugh。”
　　HewasgonebeforeIcouldsayaword。Iimmediatelyconcluded，fromtheprecipitancyofhisflight，thatthepipeWASinjured。
　　ButwhenIsubjectedittocloseexaminationIcoulddiscovernosignsofdamage。WhileIwasstilleyingitwithjealousscrutinythedoorreopened，andTresscameinagain。
　　“Bytheway，Pugh，thereisonethingImightmention，especiallyasIknowitwon”tmakeanydifferencetoyou。”
　　“Thatdependsonwhatitis。Ifyouhavechangedyourmind，andwantthepipebackagain，Itellyoufranklythatitwon”t。Inmyopinion，athingoncegivenisgivenforgood。”
　　“Quiteso；Idon”twantitbackagain。Youmaymakeyourmindeasyonthatpoint。ImerelywantedtotellyouWHYIgaveityou。”
　　“Youhavetoldmethatalready。”
　　“Onlypartly，mydearPugh——onlypartly。Youdon”tsupposeI
　　shouldhavegivenyousuchapipeasthatmerelybecauseithappenedtobedrugged？Scarcely！IgaveityoubecauseI
　　discoveredfromindisputableevidence，andtomycost，thatitwashaunted。”
　　“Haunted？“
　　“Yes，haunted。Goodday。”
　　Hewasgoneagain。Iranoutoftheroom，andshoutedafterhimdownthestairs。Hewasalreadyatthebottomoftheflight。
　　“Tress！Comeback！Whatdoyoumeanbytalkingsuchnonsense？“
　　“Ofcourseit”sonlynonsense。Weknowthatthatsortofthingalwaysisnonsense。Butifyoushouldhavereasontosupposethatthereissomethinginitbesidesnonsense，youmaythinkitworthyourwhiletomakeinquiriesofme，ButIwon”thavethatpipebackagaininmypossessiononanyterms——mindthat！“
　　Thebangofthefrontdoortoldmethathehadgoneoutintothestreet。Ilethimgo。IlaughedtomyselfasIreenteredtheroom。Haunted！Thatwasnotabadideaofhis。Isawthewholepositionataglance。Thetruthofthematterwasthathedidregrethisgenerosity，andhewasreadytogoanylengthsifhecouldonlysucceedincajolingmeintorestoringhisgift。HewasawarethatIhaveviewsuponcertainmatterswhicharenotwhollyinaccordancewiththosewhicharepopularlysupposedtobetheviewsoftheday，andparticularlythatonthequestionofwhatarecommonlycalledsupernaturalvisitationsIhaveastandpointofmyown。Therefore，itwasnotabadmoveonhisparttotrytomakemebelievethataboutthepipeonwhichheknewIhadsetmyhearttherewassomethingwhichcouldnotbeaccountedforbyordinarylaws。Yet，ashisownsensewouldhavetoldhimitwoulddo，ifhehadonlyallowedhimselftoreflectforamoment，themovefailed。
　　BecauseIamnotyetsofargoneastosupposethatapipe，athingofmeerschaumandofamber，inthesenseinwhichIunderstandtheword，COULDbehaunted——apipe，amerepipe。
　　“Hollo！Ithoughtthecreature”slegsweretwinedrightroundthebowl！“
　　Iwasholdingthepipeinmyhand，regardingitwiththeaffectionateeyeswithwhichaconnoisseurdoesregardacurio，whenIwasinducedtomakethisexclamation。Iwascertainlyundertheimpressionthat，whenIfirsttookthepipeoutofthebox，two，ifnotthreeofthefeelershadbeentwinedaboutthebowl——
　　twinedTIGHTLY，sothatyoucouldnotseedaylightbetweenthemandit。Nowtheywerealmostentirelydetached，onlythetipstouchingthemeerschaum，andthoseparticularfeelersweregatheredupasthoughthecreaturewereintheactoftakingaspring。OfcourseIwasunderamisapprehension：thefeelersCOULDN”Thavebeentwined；amomentbeforeIshouldhavebeenreadytobetathousandtoonethattheywere。Still，onedoesmakemistakes，andveryegregiousmistakes，attimes。Atthesametime，IconfessthatwhenIsawthatdreadful-lookinganimalpoisedontheextremeedgeofthebowl，foralltheworldasthoughitwerejustgoingtospringatme，Iwasalittlestartled。IrememberedthatwhenI
　　wassmokingthepipeIdidthinkIsawtheupliftedtentaclemoving，asthoughitwerereachingouttome。AndIhadaclearrecollectionthatjustasIhadbeensinkingintothatstrangestateofunconsciousness，Ihadbeenundertheimpressionthatthecreaturewaswrithingandtwisting，asthoughithadsuddenlybecomeinstinctwithlife。Underthecircumstances，thesereflectionswerenotpleasant。IwishedTresshadnottalkedthatnonsenseaboutthethingbeinghaunted。Itwassurelysufficienttoknowthatitwasdruggedandpoisonous，withoutanythingelse。
　　Ireplaceditinthesandalwoodbox。Ilockedtheboxinacabinet。Quiteapartfromthequestionastowhetherthatpipewasorwasnothaunted，Iknowithauntedme。Itwaswithmeinafigurative——whichwasworsethanactual——sensealltheday。Stillworse，itwaswithmeallthenight。Itwaswithmeinmydreams。
　　Suchdreams！PossiblyIhadnotyetwhollyrecoveredfromtheeffectsofthatinsidiousdrug，but，whetherorno，itwasverywrongofTresstosetmythoughtsintosuchachannel。HeknowsthatIamofahighlyimaginativetemperament，andthatitiseasiertogetmorbidthoughtsintomymindthantogetthemoutagain。BeforethatnightwasthroughIwishedveryheartilythatI
　　hadneverseenthepipe！Iwokefromonenightmaretofallintoanother。Onedreadfuldreamwaswithmeallthetime——ofahideous，greenreptilewhichadvancedtowardmeoutofsomeawfuldarkness，slowly，inchbyinch，untilitclutchedmeroundtheneck，and，gluingitslipstomine，suckedthelife”sbloodoutofmyveinsasitembracedmewithaslimykiss。Suchdreamsarenotrestful。Iwokeanythingbutrefreshedwhenthemorningcame。AndwhenIgotupanddressedIfeltthat，onthewhole，itwouldperhapshavebeenbetterifIneverhadgonetobed。Mynerveswereunstrung，andIhadthatgenerallytremulousfeelingwhichis，Ibelieve，aninseparablecompanionofthemoreadvancedstagesofdipsomania。Iatenobreakfast。Iamnobreakfasteaterasarule，butthatmorningIateabsolutelynothing。
　　“Ifthissortofthingistocontinue，IwillletTresshavehispipeagain。Hemayhavethelaughofme，butanythingisbetterthanthis。”
　　ItwaswithalmostfunerealforebodingsthatIwenttothecabinetinwhichIhadplacedthesandalwoodbox。ButwhenIopeneditmyfeelingsofgloompartiallyvanished。OfwhatphantasieshadI
　　beenguilty！Itmusthavebeenanentiredelusiononmyparttohavesupposedthatthosetentaculahadeverbeentwinedaboutthebowl。ThecreaturewasinexactlythesamepositioninwhichIhadleftitthedaybefore——as，ofcourse，Iknewitwouldbe——poised，asifabouttospring。IwastellingmyselfhowfoolishIhadbeentoallowmyselftodwellforamomentonTress”swords，whenMartinBrasherwasshownin。
　　Brasherisanoldfriendofmine。Wehaveacommonground——ghosts。
　　Onlyweapproachthemfromdifferentpointsofview。Hetakesthescientific——psychological——inquiryside。Heisalwaysanxioustohearofaghost，sothathemayhaveanopportunityof“showingitup。”
　　“I”vesomethinginyourlinehere，“Iobserved，ashecamein。
　　“Inmyline？Howso？I”Mnotpipemad。”
　　“No；butyou”reghostmad。Andthisisahauntedpipe。”
　　“Ahauntedpipe！Ithinkyou”rerathermoremadaboutghosts，mydearPugh，thanIam。”
　　ThenItoldhimallaboutit。Hewasdeeplyinterested，especiallywhenItoldhimthatthepipewasdrugged。ButwhenIrepeatedTress”swordsaboutitsbeinghaunted，andmentionedmyowndelusionaboutthecreaturemoving，hetookamoreseriousviewofthecasethanIhadexpectedhewoulddo。
　　“IproposethatweactonTress”ssuggestion，andgoandmakeinquiriesofhim。”
　　“Butyoudon”treallythinkthatthereisanythinginit？“
　　“OnthesesubjectsIneverallowmyselftothinkatall。ThereareTress”swords，andthereisyourstory。Itisagreedonallhandsthatthepipehaspeculiarproperties。Itseemstomethatthereisasufficientcaseheretomeritinquiry。”
　　Hepersuadedme。Iwentwithhim。Thepipe，inthesandalwoodbox，wenttoo。Tressreceiveduswithagrin——agrinwhichwasaccentuatedwhenIplacedthesandalwoodboxonthetable。
　　“Youunderstand，“hesaid，“thatagiftisagift。OnnotermswillIconsenttoreceivethatpipebackinmypossession。”
　　Iwasrathernettledbyhistone。
　　“Youneedbeundernoalarm。Ihavenointentionofsuggestinganythingofthekind。”
　　“Ourbusinesshere，“beganBrasher——Imustownthathismannerisalittleponderous”isofascientific，Imaysayalso，andatthesametime，ofajudicialnature。OurobjectisthePursuitofTruthandtheAdvancementofInquiry。”
　　“Haveyoubeentryinganothersmoke？“inquiredTress，noddinghisheadtowardme。
　　BeforeIhadtimetoanswer，Brasherwentdroningon：
　　“Ourfriendheretellsmethatyousaythispipeishaunted。”
　　“IsayitishauntedbecauseitIShaunted。”
　　IlookedatTress。Ihalfsuspectedthathewaspokingfunatus。
　　Butheappearedtobeseriousenough。
　　“Inthesematters，“remarkedBrasher，asthoughheweregivingutterancetoanewandimportanttruth，“thereisascientificandnonscientificmethodofinquiry。Thescientificmethodistobeginatthebeginning。MayIaskhowthispipecameintoyourpossession？“
　　Tresspausedbeforeheanswered。
　　“Youmayask。”Hepausedagain。“Oh，youcertainlymayask。Butitdoesn”tfollowthatIshalltellyou。”
　　“Surelyyourobject，likeours，canbebuttheSpreadingAboutoftheTruth？“
　　“Idon”tseeitatall。Itispossibletoimagineacaseinwhichthespreadingaboutofthetruthmightmakemelookalittleawkward。”
　　“Indeed！“Brasherpurseduphislips。“Yourwordswouldalmostleadonetosupposethattherewassomethingaboutyourmethodofacquiringthepipewhichyouhavegoodandweightyreasonsforconcealing。”
　　“Idon”tknowwhyIshouldconcealthethingfromyou。Idon”tsupposeeitherofyouisanybetterthanIam。Idon”tmindtellingyouhowIgotthepipe。Istoleit。”
　　“Stoleit！“
　　Brasherseemedbothamazedandshocked。ButI，whohadpreviousexperienceofTress”smethodsofaddingtohiscollection，wasnotatallsurprised。Someofthepipeswhichhecallshis，ifonlythewholetruthaboutthemwerepubliclyknown，wouldsendhimtojail。
　　“That”snothing！“hecontinued。“Allcollectorssteal！Theeighthcommandmentwasnotintendedtoapplytothem。Why，Pughtherehas”conveyed”threefourthsofthepipeswhichheflattershimselfarehis。”
　　Iwassodumfounderedbythechargethatittookmybreathaway。I
　　satinastoundedsilence。Tresswentravingon：
　　“IwassoshyofthisparticularpipewhenIhadobtainedit，thatIputitawayforquitethreemonths。WhenItookitouttohavealookatitsomethingaboutthethingsotickledmethatIresolvedtosmokeit。Owingtopeculiarcircumstancesattendingthemannerinwhichthethingcameintomypossession，andonwhichIneednotdwell——youdon”tliketodwellonthosesortofthings，doyou，Pugh？——Iknewreallynothingaboutthepipe。AswasthecasewithPugh，onepeculiarityIlearnedfromactualexperience。ItwasalsofromactualexperiencethatIlearnedthatthethingwas——
　　well，Isaidhaunted，butyoumayuseanyotherwordyoulike。”
　　“Tellus，asbrieflyaspossible，whatitwasyoureallydiddiscover。”
　　“Takethepipeoutofthebox！“Brashertookthepipeoutoftheboxandhelditinhishand。“Youseethatcreatureonit。Well，whenIfirsthadititwasunderneaththepipe。”
　　“Howdoyoumeanthatitwasunderneaththepipe？“
　　“Itwasbunchedtogetherunderneaththestem，justattheendofthemouthpiece，inthesamewayinwhichaflymightbesuspendedfromtheceiling。WhenIbegantosmokethepipeIsawthecreaturemove。”
　　“ButIthoughtthatunconsciousnessimmediatelyfollowed。”
　　“Itdidfollow，butnotbeforeIsawthatthethingwasmoving。ItwasbecauseIthoughtthatIhadbeen，inaway，avictimofdeliriumthatItriedthesecondsmoke。SuspectingthatthethingwasdruggedIswallowedwhatIbelievedwouldproveapowerfulantidote。Itenabledmetoresisttheinfluenceofthenarcoticmuchlongerthanbefore，andwhileIstillretainedmysensesIsawthecreaturecrawlalongunderthestemandoverthebowl。Itwasthatsight，Ibelieve，asmuchasanythingelse，whichsentmesilly。WhenIcametoIthenandtheredecidedtopresentthepipetoPugh。ThereisonemorethingIwouldremark。Whenthepipeleftmethecreature”slegsweretwinedaboutthebowl。Nowtheyarewithdrawn。Possiblyyou，Pugh，areabletocapmystorywithalittleonewhichisallyourown。”
　　“IcertainlydidimaginethatIsawthecreaturemove。ButI
　　supposedthatwhileIwasundertheinfluenceofthedrugimaginationhadplayedmeatrick。”
　　“Notabitofit！Dependuponit，thebeastisbewitched。Eventomyeyeitlooksasthoughitwere，andtoatrainedeyelikeyours，Pugh！You”vebeenlookingforthedevilalongtime，andyou”vegothimatlast。”
　　“I——Iwishyouwouldn”tmakethoseremarks，Tress。Theyjaronme。”
　　“Iconfess，“interpolatedBrasher——Inoticedthathehadputthepipedownonthetableasthoughheweretiredofholdingit——
　　“that，toMYthinking，suchremarksarenotappropriate。Atthesametimewhatyouhavetoldusis，Iamboundtoallow，alittlecurious。ButofcoursewhatIrequireisoculardemonstration。I
　　haven”tseenthemovementmyself。”
　　“No，butyouverysoonwilldoifyoucaretohaveapullatthepipeonyourownaccount。Do，Brasher，toobligeme！There”sadear！“
　　“Itappears，then，thatthemovementisonlyobservablewhenthepipeissmoked。WehaveatleastarrivedatstepNo。1。”
　　“Here”samatch，Brasher！Lightup，andweshallhavearrivedatstepNo。2。”
　　TresslitamatchandhelditouttoBrasher。Brasherretreatedfromitsneighborhood。
　　“Thankyou，Mr。Tress，Iamnosmoker，asyouareaware。AndI
　　havenodesiretoacquiretheartofsmokingbymeansofapoisonedpipe。”
　　Tresslaughed。Heblewoutthematchandthrewitintothegrate。
　　“ThenItellyouwhatI”lldo——I”llhaveupBob。”
　　“Bob——whyBob？“
　　“Bob“——whoserealnamewasRobertHaines，thoughIshouldthinkhemusthaveforgottenthefact，soseldomwasheaddressedbyit——wasTress”sservant。Hehadbeenanoldsoldier，andhadaccompaniedhismasterwhenhelefttheservice。HewasasdepravedacharacterasTresshimself。Iamnotsureeventhathewasnotworsethanhismaster。Ishallneverforgethowheoncebehavedtowardmyself。HeactuallyhadtheassurancetoaccusemeofattemptingtostealtheWardourStreetrelicwhichTressfondlydeludeshimselfwasoncethepropertyofSirWalterRaleigh。ThetruthisthatIhadslippeditwithmyhandkerchiefintomypocketinafitofabsenceofmind。AmanwhocouldaccuseMEofsuchathingwouldbeguiltyofanything。IwasthereforequiteatonewithBrasherwhenheaskedwhatBobcouldpossiblybewantedfor。
　　Tressexplained。
　　“I”llgethimtosmokethepipe，“hesaid。
　　BrasherandIexchangedglances，butwerefrainedfromspeech。
　　“Itwon”tdohimanyharm，“saidTress。
　　“What——notapoisonedpipe？“askedBrasher。
　　“It”snotpoisoned——it”sonlydrugged。”
　　“ONLYdrugged！“
　　“NothinghurtsBob。Heislikeanostrich。Hehasdigestiveorganswhicharepeculiarlyhisown。Itwillonlyservehimasitservedme——andPugh——itwillknockhimover。ItisalldoneinthePursuitofTruthandfortheAdvancementofInquiry。”
　　IcouldseethatBrasherdidnotaltogetherlikethetoneinwhichTressrepeatedhiswords。Asforme，itwasnottobesupposedthatIshouldputmyselfoutinamatterwhichinnowayconcernedme。IfTresschosetopoisontheman，itwashisaffair，notmine。
　　Hewenttothedoorandshouted：
　　“Bob！Comehere，youscoundrel！“
　　Thatisthewayinwhichhespeakstohim。Noreallydecentservantwouldstandit。Ishouldn”tcaretoaddressNalder，myservant，insuchaway。Hewouldgivemenoticeonthespot。Bobcamein。Heisagreathulkingfellowwhoisalwaysonthegrin。
　　Tresshadadecanterofbrandyinhishand。Hefilledatumblerwiththeneatspirit。
　　“Bob，whatwouldyousaytoaglassfulofbrandy——therealthing——
　　myboy？“
　　“Thankyou，sir。”
　　“Andwhatwouldyousaytoapullatapipewhenthebrandyisdrunk！“
　　“Apipe？“Thefellowissharpenoughwhenhelikes。Isawhimlookatthepipeuponthetable，andthenatus，andthenagleamofintelligencecameintohiseyes。“I”ddoitforadollar，sir。”
　　“Adollar，youthief？“
　　“Imeanttenshillings，sir。”
　　“Tenshillings，youbrazenvagabond？“
　　“Ishouldhavesaidapound。”
　　“Apound！Waseverthelikeofthat！DoIunderstandyoutoaskapoundfortakingapullatyourmaster”spipe？“
　　“I”mthinkingthatI”llhavetomakeittwo。”
　　“Thedeuceyouare！Here，Pugh，lendmeapound。”
　　“I”mafraidI”veleftmypursebehind。”
　　“Thenlendmetenshillings——Ananias！“
　　“IdoubtifIhavemorethanfive。”
　　“Thengivemethefive。And，Brasher，lendmetheotherfifteen。”
　　Brasherlenthimthefifteen。Idoubtifweshalleitherofuseverseeourmoneyagain。HehandedthepoundtoBob。
　　“Here”sthebrandy——drinkitup！“Bobdrankitwithoutaword，drainingtheglassofeverydrop。“Andhere”sthepipe。”
　　“Isitpoisoned，sir？“
　　“Poisoned，youvillain！Whatdoyoumean？“
　　“Itisn”tthefirsttimeI”veseenyourtricks，sir——isitnow？
　　Andyou”renottheonetogiveapoundfornothingatall。Ifitkillsmeyou”llsendmybodytomymother——she”dliketoknowthatIwasdead。”
　　“Sendyourbodytoyourgrandmother！Youidiot，sitdownandsmoke！“
　　Bobsatdown。Tresshadfilledthepipe，andhandedit，withalightedmatch，toBob。Thefellowdeclinedthematch。Hehandledthepipeverygingerly，turningitoverandover，eyingitwithallhiseyes。
　　“Thankyou，sir——I”lllightupmyselfifit”sthesametoyou。I
　　carrymatchesofmyown。It”sabeautifulpipe，entirely。Ineverseethelikeofitforugliness。Andwhat”stheslimy-lookingvarmintthatlooksasthoughitwouldliketohavemylife？Isitliving，orisitdead？“
　　“Come，wedon”twanttosithereallday，myman！“
　　“Well，sir，thelookofthisherepipehasquiteupsetmystomach。
　　I”dlikeanotherdropofliquor，ifit”sthesametoyou。”
　　“Anotherdrop！Why，you”vehadatumblerfulalready！Here”sanothertumblerfultoputontopofthat。Youwon”twantthepipetokillyou——you”llbekilledbeforeyougettoit。”
　　“Andisn”titbettertodieanaturaldeath？“
　　Bobemptiedthesecondtumblerofbrandyasthoughitwerewater。
　　Ibelievehewouldemptyahogsheadwithoutturningahair！Thenhegaveanotherlookatthepipe。Then，takingamatchfromhiswaistcoatpocket，hedrewalongbreath，asthoughhewereresigninghimselftofate。Strikingthematchontheseatofhistrousers，while，shadedbyhishand，theflamewasgatheringstrength，helookedateachofusinturn。WhenhelookedatTressIdistinctlysawhimwinkhiseye。WhatmyfeelingswouldhavebeenifaservantofminehadwinkedhiseyeatmeIamunabletoimagine！Thematchwasappliedtothetobacco，apuffofsmokecamethroughhislips——thepipewasalight！
　　Duringthisprocessoflightingthepipewehadsat——Idonotwishtouseexaggeratedlanguage，butwehadsatandwatchedthatalcoholicscamp”sproceedingsasthoughwewerewitnessinganactionwhichwouldleaveitsmarkupontheage。Whenwesawthepipewaslightedwegaveasimultaneousstart。Brasherputhishandsunderhiscoattailsandgaveakindofhop。Iraisedmyselfagoodsixinchesfrommychair，andTressrubbedhispalmstogetherwithachuckle。Bobalonewascalm。
　　“Now，“criedTress，“you”llseethedevilmoving。”
　　Bobtookthepipefrombetweenhislips。
　　“Seewhat？“hesaid。
　　“Bob，yourascal，putthatpipebackintoyourmouth，andsmokeitforyourlife！“
　　Bobwaseyingthepipeaskance。
　　“Idaresay，butwhatIwanttoknowiswhetherthisherevarmint”sdeadorwhetherheisn”t。Idon”twanttohavehimflyingatmynose——andhelooksviciousenoughforanything。”
　　“Givemebackthatpound，youthief，andgetoutofmyhouse，andbundle。”
　　“Iain”tgoingtogiveyoubacknopound。”
　　“Thensmokethatpipe！“
　　“Iamsmokingit，ain”tI？“
　　WiththeutmostdeliberationBobreturnedthepipetohismouth。
　　Heemittedanotherwhiffortwoofsmoke。
　　“Now——now！“criedTress，allexcitement，andwagginghishandintheair。
　　Wegatheredround。AswedidsoBobagainwithdrewthepipe。
　　“Whatisthemeaningofallthishere？Iain”tgoingtohaveyouplayingnoneofyourlarksonme。Iknowthere”ssomethingup，butIain”tgoingtothrowmylifeawayfortwentyshillings——notquiteIain”t。”
　　Tress，whosetemperisnotatanytimeoneofthebest，wasseizedwithquiteaspasmofrage。
　　“AsIlive，mylad，ifyoutrytocheatmebytakingthatpipefrombetweenyourlipsuntilItellyou，youleavethisroomthatinstant，neveragaintobeaservantofmine。”
　　Ipresumethefellowknewfromlongexperiencewhenhismastermeantwhathesaid，andwhenhedidn”t。Withoutanattemptatremonstrancehereplacedthepipe。Hecontinuedstolidlytopuffaway。Tresscaughtmebythearm。
　　“WhatdidItellyou？There——there！Thattentacleismoving。”
　　TheupliftedtentacleWASmoving。ItwasdoingwhatIhadseenitdo，asIsupposed，inmydistortedimagination——itwasreachingforward。UndoubtedlyBobsawwhatitwasdoing；but，whetherinobediencetohismaster”scommands，orwhetherbecausethedrugwasalreadybeginningtotakeeffect，hemadenomovementtowithdrawthepipe。Hewatchedtheslowlyadvancingtentacle，comingcloserandclosertowardhisnose，withanexpressionofsuchintensehorroronhiscountenancethatitbecamequiteshocking。Fartherandfartherthecreaturereachedforward，untilonasudden，withasortofjerk，themovementassumedadownwarddirection，andthetentaclewasslowlylowereduntilthetiprestedonthestemofthepipe。Foramomentthecreatureremainedmotionless。Iwasquietingmynerveswiththereflectionthatthisthingwasbutsometrickofthecarver”sart，andthatwhatwehadseenwehadseeninasortofnightmare，whenthewholehideousreptilewasseizedwithwhatseemedtobeafitofconvulsiveshuddering。Itseemedtobeinagony。IttrembledsoviolentlythatIexpectedtoseeitloosenitsholdofthestemandfalltotheground。IwassufficientlymasterofmyselftostealaglanceatBob。Wehadhadaninklingofwhatmighthappen。Hewaswhollyunprepared。Ashesawthatdreadful，human-lookingcreature，comingtolife，asitseemed，withinaninchortwoofhisnose，hiseyesdilatedtotwicetheirusualsize。Ihoped，forhissake，thatunconsciousnesswouldsupervene，throughtheactionofthedrug，beforethroughsheerfrighthissenseslefthim。Perhapsmechanicallyhepuffedsteadilyon。
　　Thecreature”sshudderingbecamemoreviolent。Itappearedtoswellbeforeoureyes。Then，justassuddenlyasitbegan，theshudderingceased。Therewasanotherinstantofquiescence。Thenthecreaturebegantocrawlalongthestemofthepipe！Itmovedwithmarvelouscaution，themerestfractionofaninchatatime。
　　Butstillitmoved！Oureyeswererivetedonitwithafascinationwhichwasabsolutelynauseous。IamunpleasantlyaffectedevenasIthinkofitnow。Mydreamsofthenightbeforehadbeennothingtothis。
　　Slowly，slowly，itwent，nearerandnearertothesmoker”snose。
　　Itsmodeofprogressionwasinthehighestdegreeunsightly。Itglided，never，sofarasIcouldsee，removingitstentaclesfromthestemofthepipe。Itslippeditshindmostfeelersonwarduntiltheycameuptothosewhichwereinadvance。Then，intheirturn，itadvancedthosewhichwereinfront。Itseemed，too，tomovewiththeutmostlabor，shudderingasthoughitwereinpain。
　　Wewereall，forourparts，speechless。IwasmomentarilyhopingthatthedrugwouldtakeeffectonBob。Eitherhisconstitutionenabledhimtoofferastrongresistancetonarcotics，orelsethelargequantityofneatspiritwhichhehaddrunkacted——asTresshadmalevolentlyintendedthatitshould——asanantidote。ItseemedtomethathewouldNEVERsuccumb。Onwentthecreature——
　　on，andon，initsinfinitesimalprogression。Iwasspellbound。I
　　wouldhavegiventheworldtoscream，tohavebeenabletoutterasound。Icoulddonothingelsebutwatch。
　　Thecreaturehadreachedtheendofthestem。Ithadgainedtheambermouthpiece。Itwaswithinaninchofthesmoker”snose。
　　Stillonitwent。Itseemedtomovewithgreaterfreedomontheamber。Itincreaseditsrateofprogress。Itwasactuallytouchingtheforemostfeatureonthesmoker”scountenance。I
　　expectedtoseeitgripthewretchedBob，whenitbegantooscillatefromsidetoside。Itsoscillationsincreasedinviolence。Itfelltothefloor。Thatsameinstantthenarcoticprevailed。Bobslippedsidewaysfromthechair，thepipestillheldtightlybetweenhisrigidjaws。
　　Weweresilent。TherelayBob。Closebesidehimlaythecreature。
　　Afewmoreinchestotheleft，andhewouldhavefallenonandsquasheditflat。Ithadfallenonitsback。Itsfeelerswereextendedupward。Theywerewrithingandtwistingandturningintheair。
　　Tresswasthefirsttospeak。
　　“Ithinkalittlebrandywon”tbeamiss。”Emptyingtheremainderofthebrandyintoaglass，heswalloweditatadraught。“Nowforacloserexaminationofourfriend。”Takingapairoftongsfromthegratehenippedthecreaturebetweenthem。Hedepositedituponthetable。“Iratherfancythatthisisacasefordissection。”
　　Hetookapenknifefromhiswaistcoatpocket。Openingthelargeblade，hethrustitspointintotheobjectonthetable。Littleornoresistanceseemedtobeofferedtothepassageoftheblade，butasitwasinsertedthetentaculasimultaneouslybegantowritheandtwist。Tresswithdrewtheknife。
　　“Ithoughtso！“Heheldthebladeoutforourinspection。Thepointwascoveredwithsomeviscid-lookingmatter。“That”sblood！
　　Thething”salive！“
　　“Alive！“
　　“Alive！That”sthesecretofthewholeperformance！“
　　“But”
　　“Butmenobuts，myPugh！Themystery”sexploded！Onemoreghostislosttotheworld！ThepersonfromwhomIOBTAINEDthatpipewasanIndianjuggler——uptomanytricksofthetrade。He，orsomeoneforhim，gotholdofthissweetthinginreptiles——andasweeterthingwould，Iimagine，behardtofind——andcovereditwithsomepreparationof，possibly，gumarabic。Heallowedthistoharden。Thenhestuckthething——stillliving，forthosesortofgentryarehardtokill——tothepipe。Theconsequencewasthatwhenanyonelitup，thewarmthwascommunicatedtotheadhesiveagent——againsomepreparationofgum，nodoubt——itmoistenedit，andthecreature，withinfinitedifficulty，wasabletomove。ButIamopentolayoddswithanygentlemanofsportingtastesthatTHIStimethecreature”stravelingdaysAREdone。Ithasgivenmeratheralargertasteofthehorrorsthanisgoodformydigestion。”
　　Withtheaidofthetongsheremovedthecreaturefromthetable。
　　Heplaceditonthehearth。BeforeBrasherorIhadanotionofwhatitwasheintendedtodohecovereditwithaheavymarblepaperweight。Thenhestoodupontheweight，andbetweenthemarbleandthehearthhegroundthecreatureflat。
　　Whiletheexecutionwasstillproceeding，Bobsatupuponthefloor。
　　“Hollo！“heasked，“what”shappened？“
　　“We”veemptiedthebottle，Bob，“saidTress。“Butthere”sanotherwherethatcamefrom。Perhapsyoucoulddrinkanothertumblerful，myboy？“
　　Bobdrankit！
　　FOOTNOTE
　　“Thosegentryarehardtokill。”Hereisfact，notfantasy。
　　LizardyarnsnolesssensationalthanthisMysteryStorycanbefoundbetweenthecoversofsolemn，zoologicaltextbooks。
　　Reptiles，indeed，arefarfromfinickyinthemattersofair，space，andespeciallywarmth。Frogsandothersuchsluggish-
　　bloodedcreatureshavelivedafterbeingfrozenfastinice。Theirbloodislittlewarmerthanairorwater，enjoyingnoextracasingoffurorfeathers。
　　Airandfoodseemheldinlightesteembylizards。Theirbloodneednotbehighlyoxygenated；itnourishesjustaswellwhenimpure。Intemperateclimeslizardslietorpidandburiedallwinter；somespeciesofthetropicdesertssleeppeacefullyallsummer。Theiranatomyincludesnomeansforthecontinuousintroductionandexpulsionofair；reptilianlungsarelittlemorethanclosedsacs，withoutcellstructure。
　　Ifanyfurtherzoologicalfactwereneededtoverifythedenouementof“ThePipe，“itmightbethegeneralstatementthatlizardsareabnormalbrutesanyhow。Considerthechameleonsofunsettledhue。
　　Andwhatisonetothinkofananimalwhich，whencapturedbythetail，isabletomakeitsescapebywillfullyshufflingoffthatappendage？——EDITOR。
　　ThePuzzleI
　　Pughcameintomyroomholdingsomethingwrappedinapieceofbrownpaper。
　　“Tress，Ihavebroughtyousomethingonwhichyoumayexerciseyouringenuity。”Hebegan，withexasperatingdeliberation，tountiethestringwhichboundhisparcel；heisoneofthosepersonswhowouldnotcutaknottosavetheirlives。Theprocessoccupiedhimthebetterpartofaquarterofanhour。Thenheheldoutthecontentsofthepaper。
　　“Whatdoyouthinkofthat？“heasked。Ithoughtnothingofit，andItoldhimso。“Iwaspreparedforthatconfession。Ihavenoticed，Tress，thatyougenerallydothinknothingofanarticlewhichreallydeservestheattentionofatrulythoughtfulmind。
　　Possibly，asyouthinksolittleofit，youwillbeabletosolvethepuzzle。”
　　Itookwhatheheldouttome。Itwasanoblongbox，perhapssevenincheslongbythreeinchesbroad。
　　“Where”sthepuzzle？“Iasked。
　　“Ifyouwillexaminethelidofthebox，youwillsee。”Iturneditoverandover；itwasdifficulttoseewhichwasthelid。ThenIperceivedthatononesidewereprintedthesewords：
　　“PUZZLE：TOOPENTHEBOX“
　　ThewordsweresofaintlyprintedthatitwasnotsurprisingthatI
　　hadnotnoticedthematfirst。Pughexplained。
　　“Iobservedthatboxonatrayoutsideasecond-handfurnitureshop。Itstruckmyeye。Itookitup。Iexaminedit。Iinquiredoftheproprietoroftheshopinwhatthepuzzlelay。Herepliedthatthatwasmorethanhecouldtellme。Hehimselfhadmadeseveralattemptstoopenthebox，andallofthemhadfailed。I
　　purchasedit。Itookithome。Ihavetried，andIhavefailed。I
　　amaware，Tress，ofhowyouprideyourselfuponyouringenuity。I
　　cannotdoubtthat，ifyoutry，youwillnotfail。”
　　WhilePughwasprosing，Iwasexaminingthebox。Itwasatleastwellmade。Itweighedcertainlyundertwoounces。Istruckitwithmyknuckles；itsoundedhollow。Therewasnohinge；nothingofanykindtoshowthatiteverhadbeenopened，or，forthematterofthat，thatitevercouldbeopened。ThemoreIexaminedthething，themoreitwhettedmycuriosity。Thatitcouldbeopened，andinsomeingeniousmanner，Imadenodoubt——buthow？
　　Theboxwasnotanewone。AtaroughguessIshouldsaythatithadbeenaboxforagoodhalfcentury；therewerecertainsignsofageaboutitwhichcouldnotescapeapracticedeye。Haditremainedunopenedallthattime？Whenopened，whatwouldbefoundinside？ItSOUNDEDhollow；probablynothingatall——whocouldtell？
　　Itwasformedofsmallpiecesofinlaidwood。Severalwoodshadbeenused；someofthemwerestrangetome。Theywereofdifferentcolors；itwasprettyobviousthattheymustallofthemhavebeenhardwoods。Thepieceswereofvariousshapes——hexagonal，octagonal，triangular，square，oblong，andevencircular。Theprocessofinlayingthemhadbeenbeautifullydone。Sonicelyhadthepartsbeenjoinedthatthelinesofmeetingweredifficulttodiscoverwiththenakedeye；theyhadbeenjoinedsolid，sotospeak。Itwasanexcellentexampleofmarquetry。Ihadbeenover-
　　hastyinmydeprecation；IowedasmuchtoPugh。
　　“ThisboxofyoursisbetterworthlookingatthanIfirstsupposed。Isittobesold？“
　　“No，itisnottobesold。Nor“——he“fixed“mewithhisspectacles”isittobegivenaway。Ihavebroughtittoyouforthesimplepurposeofascertainingifyouhaveingenuityenoughtoopenit。”
　　“Iwillengagetoopenitintwoseconds——withahammer。”
　　“Idaresay。Iwillopenitwithahammer。Thethingistoopenitwithout。”
　　“Letmesee。”Ibegan，withtheaidofamicroscope，toexaminetheboxmoreclosely。“Iwillgiveyouonepieceofinformation，Pugh。UnlessIammistaken，thesecretliesinoneoftheselittlepiecesofinlaidwood。Youpushit，oryoupressit，orsomething，andthewholeaffairfliesopen。”
　　“Suchwasmyownfirstconviction。Iamnotsosureofitnow。I
　　havepressedeveryseparatepieceofwood；Ihavetriedtomoveeachpieceineverydirection。Noresulthasfollowed。Mytheorywasahiddenspring。”
　　“Buttheremustbeahiddenspringofsomesort，unlessyouaretoopenitbyamereexerciseofforce。Isupposetheboxisempty。”
　　“Ithoughtitwasatfirst，butnowIamnotsosureofthateither。Italldependsonthepositioninwhichyouholdit。Holditinthisposition——likethis——closetoyourear。Haveyouasmallhammer？“Itookasmallhammer。“Tapitsoftly，withthehammer。Don”tyounoticeasortofreverberationwithin？“
　　Pughwasright，therecertainlywassomethingwithin；somethingwhichseemedtoechobackmytapping，almostasifitwerealivingthing。Imentionedthis，toPugh。
　　“Butyoudon”tthinkthatthereissomethingaliveinsidethebox？
　　Therecan”tbe。Theboxmustbeairtight，probablyasmuchair-
　　tightasanexhaustedreceiver。”
　　“Howdoweknowthat？Howcanwetellthatnominuteintersticeshavebeenleftfortheexpresspurposeofventilation？“I
　　continuedtappingwiththehammer。Inoticedonepeculiarity，thatitwasonlywhenIheldtheboxinaparticularposition，andtappedatacertainspot，therecametheansweringtapsfromwithin。“Itellyouwhatitis，Pugh，whatIhearisthereverberationofsomemachinery。”
　　“Doyouthinkso？“
　　“I”msureofit。”
　　“Givetheboxtome。”Pughputtheboxtohisear。Hetapped。
　　“Itsoundstomeliketheechoingtick，tickofsomegreatbeetle；
　　likethesortofnoisewhichadeathwatchmakes，youknow。”
　　TrustPughtofindaremarkableexplanationforasimplefact；iftheexplanationleanstowardthesupernatural，somuchthemoresatisfactorytoPugh。Iknewbetter。
　　“Thesoundwhichyouhearismerelythethrobbingorthetremblingofthemechanismwithwhichitisintendedthattheboxshouldbeopened。Themechanismisplacedjustwhereyouaretappingitwiththehammer。Everytapcausesittojar。”
　　“Itsoundstomelikethetickingofadeathwatch。However，onsuchsubjects，Tress，Iknowwhatyouare。”
　　“MydearPugh，giveitanextrahardtap，andyouwillsee。”
　　Hegaveitanextrahardtap。Themomenthehaddoneso，hestarted。
　　“I”vedoneitnow。”
　　“Whathaveyoudone？“
　　“Brokensomething，Ifancy。”Helistenedintently，withhiseartothebox。“No——itseemsallright。AndyetIcouldhaveswornI
　　haddamagedsomething；Ihearditsmash。”
　　“Givemethebox。”Hegaveitme。Inmyturn，Ilistened。I
　　shookthebox。Pughmusthavebeenmistaken。Nothingrattled；
　　therewasnotasound；theboxwasasemptyasbefore。Igaveasmarttapwiththehammer，asPughhaddone。Thentherecertainlywasacurioussound。Tomyear，itsoundedlikethesmashingofglass。“Iwonderifthereisanythingfragileinsideyourpreciouspuzzle，Pugh，and，ifso，ifweareshiveringitbydegrees？“
　　II
　　“WhatISthatnoise？“
　　Ilayinbedinthatcuriousconditionwhichisbetweensleepandwaking。When，atlast，IKNEWthatIwasawake，Iaskedmyselfwhatitwasthathadwokeme。SuddenlyIbecameconsciousthatsomethingwasmakingitselfaudibleinthesilenceofthenight。
　　ForsomesecondsIlayandlistened。ThenIsatupinbed。
　　“WhatISthatnoise？“
　　Itwaslikethetick，tickofsomelargeandunusuallyclear-tonedclock。Itmighthavebeenaclock，haditnotbeenthatthesoundwasvaried，everyhalfdozenticksorso，byasortofstifledscreech，suchasmighthavebeenutteredbysomesmallcreatureinanextremityofanguish。Igotoutofbed；itwasridiculoustothinkofsleepduringthecontinuationofthatuncannyshrieking。
　　Istruckalight。Thesoundseemedtocomefromtheneighborhoodofmydressing-table。Iwenttothedressing-table，thelightedmatchinmyhand，and，asIdidso，myeyesfellonPugh”smysteriousbox。Thatsameinstantthereissued，fromthebowelsofthebox，amoreuncomfortablescreechthananyIhadpreviouslyheard。IttookmesocompletelybysurprisethatIletthematchfallfrommyhandtothefloor。Theroomwasindarkness。I
　　stood，Iwillnotsaytrembling，listening——consideringtheirvolume——totheEERIESTshrieksIeverheard。Allatoncetheyceased。Thencamethetick，tick，tickagain。Istruckanothermatchandlitthegas。
　　Pughhadlefthispuzzleboxbehindhim。Wehaddoneallwecould，together，tosolvethepuzzle。HehadleftitbehindtoseewhatI
　　coulddowithitalone。SomuchhaditengrossedmyattentionthatIhadevenbroughtitintomybedroom，inorderthatImight，beforeretiringtorest，makeafinalattemptatthesolutionofthemystery。NOWwhatpossessedthething？
　　AsIstood，andlooked，andlistened，onethingbegantobecleartome，thatsomesortofmachineryhadbeensetinmotioninsidethebox。Howithadbeensetinmotionwasanothermatter。Buttheboxhadbeensubjectedtosomuchhandling，tosuchpressingandsuchhammering，thatitwasnotstrangeif，afterall，PughorIhadunconsciouslyhituponthespringwhichsetthewholethinggoing。Possiblythemechanismhadgotsorustythatithadrefusedtoactatonce。Ithadhungfire，andonlyaftersomehourshadsomethingorothersettheimprisonedmotivepowerfree。
　　Butwhataboutthescreeching？Couldtherebesomelivingcreatureconcealedwithinthebox？WasIlisteningtothecriesofsomesmallanimalinagony？Momentaryreflectionsuggestedthattheexplanationoftheonethingwastheexplanationoftheother。
　　Rust！——therewasthemystery。Thesamerustwhichhadpreventedthemechanismfromactingatoncewascausingthescreechingnow。
　　Theuncannysoundswerecausedbynothingmorenorlessthanthewantofadroportwoofoil。SuchanexplanationwouldnothavesatisfiedPugh，itsatisfiedme。
　　Pickingupthebox，Iplacedittomyear。
　　“Iwonderhowlongthislittleperformanceisgoingtocontinue。
　　Andwhatisgoingtohappenwhenitisgoodenoughtocease？I
　　hope“——anuncomfortablethoughtoccurredtome”IhopePughhasn”tpickedupsomepleasantlittlenoveltyinthewayofaninfernalmachine。Itwouldbeafirst-ratejokeifheandIhadbeenendeavoringtosolvethepuzzleofhowtosetitgoing。”
　　Idon”tmindowningthatasthisreflectioncrossedmymindI
　　replacedPugh”spuzzleonthedressing-table。Theideadidnotcommenditselftomeatall。Theboxevidentlycontainedsomecuriousmechanism。Itmightbemorecuriousthancomfortable。
　　Possiblysomeagreeablelittledeviceinclockwork。Thetick，tick，ticksuggestedclockworkwhichhadbeenplannedtogoacertaintime，andthen——then，forallIknew，igniteanexplosive，and——blowup。ItwouldbeacharmingsolutiontothepuzzleifitweretoexplodewhileIstoodthere，inmynightshirt，lookingon。
　　Itistruethattheboxweighedverylittle。Probably，asIhavesaid，thewholeaffairwouldnothaveturnedthescaleatacoupleofounces。Butthenitsverylightnessmighthavebeenpartoftheingeniousinventor”slittlegame。Thereareexplosiveswithwhichonecanworkaverysatisfactoryamountofdamagewithconsiderablylessthanacoupleofounces。
　　WhileIwashesitating——Iownit！——whetherIhadnotbetterimmersePugh”spuzzleinacanofwater，orthrowitoutofthewindow，orcalldownBobwitharequesttoatonceremoveittohisapartment，boththetick，tick，tick，andthescreechingceased，andallwithintheboxwasstill。IfitWASgoingtoexplode，itwasnowornever。InstinctivelyImovedinthedirectionofthedoor。
　　Iwaitedwithacertainsenseofanxiety。Iwaitedinvain。
　　Nothinghappened，notevenarenewalofthesound。
　　“IwishPughhadkepthispreciouspuzzleathome。Thissortofthingtriesone”snerves。”
　　WhenIthoughtthatIperceivedthatnothingseemedlikelytohappen，Ireturnedtotheneighborhoodofthetable。Ilookedattheboxaskance。Itookitupgingerly。SomethingmightgooffatanymomentforallIknew。ItwouldbetoomuchofajokeifPugh”spreciouspuzzleexplodedinmyhand。Ishookitdoubtfully；
　　nothingrattled。Iheldittomyear。Therewasnotasound。
　　Whathadtakenplace？Hadtheclockworkrundown，andwasthemachinearrangedwithsuchadiabolicalingenuitythatacertainintervalwasrequired，aftertheclockworkhadrundown，beforeanexplosioncouldoccur？Orhadrustcausedthemechanismtoagainhangfire？
　　“Aftermakingallthatcommotionthethingmightatleastcomeopen。”Ibangedtheboxviciouslyagainstthecornerofthetable。
　　IfeltthatIwouldalmostratherthatanexplosionshouldtakeplacethanthatnothingshouldoccur。Onedoesnotcaretobedisturbedfromone”ssoundslumberinthesmallhoursofthemorningforatrifle。