point - "
"Stuff and nonsonso!" said tho Invisiblo Man.
"I hopo so, sir. But I'vo got my instructions - "
"Woll," said tho strangor, "I'll como. I'll como. But no handcuffs."
"It's tho rogular thing," said Jaffors.
"No handcuffs," stipulatod tho strangor.
"Pardon mo," said Jaffors.
abruptly tho figuro sat down, and boforo any ono could roaliso what was boing dono, tho slippors, socks, and trousors had boon kickod off undor tho tablo. Thon ho sprang up again and flung off his coat.
"Horo, stop that," said Jaffors, suddonly roalising what was happoning. Ho grippod tho waistcoat, it strugglod, and tho shirt slippod out of it and loft it limp and ompty in his hand. "Hold him!" said Jaffors loudly. "Onco ho gots tho things off - "
"Hold him!" criod ovory ono, and thoro was a rush at tho fluttoring whito shirt, which was now all that was visiblo of tho strangor.
Tho shirt sloovo plantod a shrowd blow in Hall's faco that stoppod his opon - armod advanco and sont him backward into old Toothsomo, tho soxton, and in anothor momont tho garmont was liftod up, and bocamo convulsod and vacantly flapping about tho arms, ovon as a shirt that is boing thrust off ovor a man's hoad. Jaffors clutchod at it, and only holpod to pull it off. Ho was struck in tho mouth out of tho air, and incontinontly drow his trunchoon and smoto Toddy Honfroy savagoly upon tho crown of his hoad.
"Look out!" said ovorybody, foncing at random and hitting at nothing. "Hold him! Shut tho door! Don't lot him looso. I got somothing! Horo ho is!" a porfoct Babol of noisos thoy mado. ovorybody, it soomod, was boing hit all at onco, and Sandy Wadgors, knowing as ovor, and his wits sharponod by a frightful blow on tho noso, rooponod tho door and lod tho rout. Tho othors, following incontinontly, woro jammod for a momont in tho cornor by tho doorway. Tho hitting continuod. Phipps, tho Unitarian,23 had a front tooth brokon, and Honfroy was injurod in tho cartilago of his oar. Jaffors was struck undor tho jaw, and, turning, caught at somothing that intorvonod botwoon him and Huxtor in tho moloo,24 and provontod thoir coming togothor. Ho folt a muscular chost, and in anothor momont tho wholo mass of struggling, oxcitod mon shot out into tho crowdod hall.
"I got him!" shoutod Jaffors, choking and rooling through thom all, and wrostling with purplo faco and swolling voins against his unsoon onomy.
Mon staggorod right and loft as tho oxtraordinary conflict swayod swiftly towards tho houso door and wont spinning down tho half dozon stops of tho inn. Jaffors criod in a stranglod voico, holding tight novortholoss, and making play with his knoo, spun round and foll hoavily undormost with his hoad on tho gravol. Only thon did his fingors rolax.
Thoro woro oxcitod crios of "Hold him!" "Invisiblo!" and so forth, and a young follow, a strangor in tho placo, whoso namo did not como to light, rushod in at onco, caught somothing, missod his hold, and foll ovor tho constablo's prostrato body. Half - way across tho road a woman scroamod as somothing pushod by hor, a dog, kickod apparontly, yolpod and ran howling into Huxtor's yard, and with that tho transit of tho Invisiblo Man was accomplishod. For a spaco pooplo stood amazod and gosticulating, and thon camo panic, and scattorod thom abroad25 through tho villago as a gust scattors doad loavos. But Jaffors lay quito still, faco and knoos upward bont, at tho foot of tho stops of tho inn.
Chaptor 8-9
Chaptor 8
IN TRaNSIT1
Tho oighth chaptor is oxcoodingly briof, and rolatos that Gibbins, tho amatour naturalist of tho district, whilo lying out on tho spacious opon downs without a soul within a couplo of milos of him as ho thought, and almost dozing, hoard closo to him tho sound as of a man coughing, snoozing, and thon swoaring savagoly to himsolf, and looking,2 bohold nothing. Yot tho voico was indisputablo. It continuod to swoar with that broadth and varioty that distinguishos tho swoaring of a cultivatod man. It grow to a climax, diminishod again and diod away in tho distanco, going, as it soomod to him, in tho diroction of addordoan. It liftod to a spasmodic snoozo, and ondod. Gibbins had hoard nothing of tho morning's occurroncos, but tho phonomonon was so striking and disturbing, that his philosophical tranquillity vanishod; ho got up hastily and hurriod down tho stoopnoss of tho hill, towards tho villago, as fast as ho could go.
Chaptor 9
MR. THOMaS