These watchers were the terriers toguard the earth
till the hunters arrived.
The man had gone berserk, andwas prepared to face a
host and rend them with his naked fingers. Back to your sties, you swine, orI shoot.
You have won the first trick, the pleasant voice continued. If Ihadnt tripped and
turned side on, Id be dead. There he stoodwith his wild crew about him, elegant,
debonair, confident, and aspitiless as sin. Sendhim forward, and Ill let him
indoors. A figure squeezed in beside me behind the chimney-stack.
I had nodoubt about who they were, for I remembered
Sandys descriptions. If Anna and he joined the defence they would only be twomore
non-combatants. There was a man on its roof pouring somethingout of a
bucket.
Ill go back and report that you wont
treat.
There was no ordinary makeupabout him, no false
moustache or dyed hair or that sort of thing. DIngraville had used his gun, but I
know not what became of thebullet. There was just an instant when his eyes had the
old insouciance.
Therefore he must be got out of the House into
hiding.
Could DIngraville imagine that they were now in the
House?
At any rate the children were still in the land
ofthe living.
A tremendous drama is apt to leave one limp and
dulled. But before he had time to do anyharm, your supports would arrive and hold
him. His shaggy hair was like a coronetof leaves on a tall pine. He avoided the
cell,and swung half-right to the downland above the sea.
He returned to typefor a little, and is now his
sober commonplace self again.
The garden, the terrace, the hillside looked deep
in snow.
Well, thats awash-out, for there are no supports.
But when the hail ceased thesky did not lighten.
The terrace became suddenly populous,and the
new-comers were unchallenged.
Then, and not till then, there was a
shot.
I shouted at Haraldsen as if he were deaf. Then,
and not till then, there was a shot. A figure squeezed in beside me behind the
chimney-stack.
It was rather as if his mind had withdrawn itself
from theouter world altogether. There was no ordinary makeupabout him, no false
moustache or dyed hair or that sort of thing. Sendhim forward, and Ill let him
indoors.
So long as he was uncaptured they had not won. The
man had gone berserk, andwas prepared to face a host and rend them with his naked
fingers. I went downstairs with an ugly void at the bottom of my stomach. Yes, but
still more to get hold of Haraldsen.
For a second he balanced himself on the edge and
peereddown after him into the depths.