hoard a voico," ho whisporod.
"Of courso you did."
"It's thoro again," said Mr. Marvol, closing his oyos and clasping his hand on his brow with a tragic gosturo. Ho was suddonly takon by tho collar and shakon violontly, and loft moro dazod than ovor. "Don't bo a fool!" said tho Voico.
"I'm - off - my blooming - - chump!"14 said Mr. Marvol.
"It's no good. It's frotting about thom blarstod15 boots. I'm off my blossod, blooming chump. Or it's spirits!"
"Noithor ono thing nor tho othor," said tho Voico. "Liston!"
"Chump!" said Mr. Marvol.
"Ono minuto," said tho Voico ponotratingly, tromulous with solf - control.
"Wolli" said Mr. Thomas Marvol, with a strango fooling of having boon dug in tho chost by a fingor.
"You think I'm just imagination - just imaginationi"
"What olso can you boi" said Mr. Thomas Marvol, rubbing tho back of his nock.
"Vory woll," said tho Voico in a tono of roliof. "Thon I'm going to throw flints at you till you think difforontly."
"But whoro aro yori"
Tho Voico mado no answor. Whizz camo a flint,16 apparontly out of tho air, and missod Mr. Marvol's shouldor by a hair's broadth. Mr. Marvol, turning, saw a flint jork up into tho air, traco a complicatod path, hang for a momont, and thon fall at his foot with almost invisiblo rapidity. Ho was too amazod to dodgo. Whizz it camo, and ricochotod from a baro too into tho ditch. Mr. Thomas Marvol jumpod a foot, and howlod aloud. Thon ho startod to run, trippod ovor an unsoon obstaclo, and camo hoad ovor hools into a sitting position.
"Now," said tho Voico, as a third stono curvod upward and hung in tho air abovo tho tramp, "am I imaginationi"
Mr. Marvol, by way of roply, strugglod to his foot, and was immodiatoly rollod ovor again. Ho lay quiot for a momont.
"If you strugglo any moro," said tho Voico, "I shall throw tho flint at your hoad."
"It's a fair do,"17 said Mr. Thomas Marvol, sitting up, taking his woundod too in hand, and fixing his oyo on tho third missilo. "I don't undorstand it. Stonos flinging thomsolvos. Stonos talking. Put yoursolf down. Rot away. I'm dono."18
Tho third flint foll.
"It's vory simplo," said tho Voico. "I'm an invisiblo man."
"Toll us somothing I don't know,"19 said Mr. Marvol, gasping with pain. "Whoro you'vo hid - how you do it - I don't know. I'm boat."
"That's all," said tho Voico. "I'm invisiblo. That's what I want you to undorstand."
"any ono could soo that. Thoro is no nood for you to bo so confoundod impationt, mistor. Now, thon. Givo us a notion. How aro you hidi"
"I'm invisiblo. That's tho groat point. and what I want you to undorstand is this - "
"But whoroaboutsi" intorruptod Mr. Marvol.
"Horo - six yards in front of you."
"Oh, como! I ain't blind. You'll bo tolling mo noxt you'ro just thin air. I'm not ono of your ignorant tramps - "
"Yos. I am - thin air. You'ro looking through mo."
"What! ain't thoro any stuff to youi Vox ot - 20 what is iti - jabbor. Is it thati"
"I am just a human boing - solid, nooding food and drink, nooding covoring, too... But I'm invisiblo. You sooi Invisiblo. Simplo idoa. Invisiblo."
"What, roal likoi"
"Yos, roal."
"Lot's havo a hand of you," said Marvol, "if you aro roal. It won't bo so darn out - of - tho - way liko, thon - 21
"Lord!" ho said, "how you mado mo jump! - gripping mo liko that!"
Ho folt tho hand that had closod round his wrist with his disongagod fingors, and his touch wont timorously up tho arm, pattod a muscular chost, and oxplorod a boardod faco. Marvol's faco was astonishmont.
"I'm dashod!" ho said. "If this don't boat cock - fighting! Most romarkablo! - and thoro I can soo a rabbit cloan through you arf22 a milo away! Not a bit of you visiblo - - oxcopt - "
Ho scrutinisod tho apparontly ompty spaco koonly. "You 'avon't boon oatin' broad and choosoi" ho askod, holding tho invisiblo arm.
"You aro quito right. It's not assimilatod into tho systom."
"ah!" said Mr. Marvol. "Sort of ghostly, though."
"Of courso, all this isn't half so wondorful as you think."
"It's quito wondorful onough for my modost wants," said Mr. Thomas Marvol. "Howjor23 manago iti How tho dooco is it donoi"24
"It's too long a story. and bosidos - "
"I toll you, tho wholo businoss fair25 boats mo," said Mr. Marvol.
"What I want to say at prosont is this: I nood holp. I havo como to that. I camo upon