The story is quick and sharp and deep; moving swiftly to its climax, unhampered by any waste pages of descriptions or useless talk of characters. Its blend of weird mystery and forthright elements is singularly effective.
ck on the mantel-piece struck ten. The sound had an oddly hollow and chilly effect in the bare, carpetless room; and unconsciously he raised his head and glanced about him. His ideas, still stirred by his adventure, were more prone than usual to the suggestion of outward things; and for almost the first time since his arrival, he felt drawn to study his intimate surroundings. With a new curiosity he let his eyes wander from the severe book-shelves to the ugly iron safe that stood in the most prominent position in the room; and from the safe his glance turned to the revolving bookcase by his uncle's favorite chair, in which lay the volumes that were in daily use. Following an impulse he had never previously been conscious of, he crossed the room, and drawing three books, at hap-hazard from the case, studied their titles.
The Indissoluble Essence, he read; The Soul in Relation to the Human Mind; The Mystic Influence.
He stood for a space gazing at the sombre covers, but
