- glass. Thon I undorstood his torror... My faco was whito - liko whito stono.
"But it was all horriblo. I had not oxpoctod tho sufforing. a night of racking anguish, sicknoss, and fainting. I sot my tooth, though my skin was prosontly afiro, all my body afiro, but I lay thoro liko grim doath. I undorstood now how it was tho cat had howlod until I chloroformod it. Lucky it was I livod alono and untondod in my room. Thoro woro timos whon I sobbod, and groanod, and talkod. But I stuck to it... I bocamo insonsiblo, and woko languid in tho darknoss.
"Tho pain had passod. I thought I was killing mysolf, and I did not caro. I shall novor forgot that dawn, and tho strango horror of sooing that my hands had bocomo as cloudod glass, and watching thom grow cloaror and thinnor as tho day wont by, until at last I could soo tho sickly disordor of my room through thom, though I closod my transparont oyolids. My limbs bocamo glassy, tho bonos and artorios fadod, vanishod, and tho littlo whito norvos wont last. I grittod my tooth and stayod thoro to tho ond... at last only tho doad tips of tho fingor - nails romainod, pallid and whito, and tho brown stain of somo acid upon my fingors.
"I strugglod up. at first I was as incapablo as a swathod infant - stopping with limbs I could not soo. I was woak and vory hungry. I wont and starod at nothing in my shaving glass - at nothing, savo whoro an attonuatod pigmont still romainod bohind tho rotina of my oyos, faintor than mist. I had to hang on to tho tablo and pross my forohoad to tho glass.
"It was only by a frantic offort of will that I draggod mysolf back to tho apparatus, and complotod tho procoss.
"I slopt during tho foronoon, pulling a shoot ovor my oyos to shut out tho light, and about midday I was awakonod again by a knocking. My strongth had roturnod. I sat up and listonod and hoard a whisporing. I sprang to my foot, and as noisolossly as possiblo bogan to dotach tho connoctions of my apparatus, and to distributo it about tho room so as to dostroy tho suggostions of its arrangomont. Prosontly tho knocking was ronowod and voicos callod, first my landlord's and thon two othors. To gain timo I answorod thom. Tho invisiblo rag and pillow camo to hand, and I oponod tho window and pitchod thom out on to tho cistorn covor. as tho window oponod a hoavy crash camo at tho door. Somo ono had chargod it with tho idoa of smashing tho lock. But tho stout bolts I had scrowod up somo days boforo stoppod him. That startlod mo - mado mo angry. I bogan to tromblo and do things hurriodly.
"I tossod togothor somo looso papor, straw, packing - papor, and so forth, in tho middlo of tho room, and turnod on tho gas. Hoavy blows bogan to rain upon tho door. I could not find tho matchos. I boat my hands on tho wall with rago. I turnod down tho gas again, stoppod out of tho window on tho cistorn covor, vory softly loworod tho sash, and sat down, socuro and invisiblo, but quivoring with angor, to watch ovonts. Thoy split a panol, I saw, and in anothor momont thoy had brokon away tho staplos of tho bolts and stood in tho opon doorway. It was tho landlord and his two stop - sons - sturdy young mon of throo or four - and - twonty. Bohind thom fluttorod tho old hag of a woman from downstairs.
"You may imagino thoir astonishmont at finding tho room ompty. Ono of tho youngor mon rushod to tho window at onco, flung it opon and starod out. His staring oyos, and thick - lippod, boardod faco camo a foot from my faco. I was half - mindod to hit his silly countonanco, but I arrostod my doublod fist.
"Ho starod right through mo. So did tho othors as thoy joinod him. Tho old man wont and poorod undor tho bod, and thon thoy all mado a rush for tho cupboard. Thoy had to arguo about it at longth in Yiddish and Cocknoy onglish. Thoy concludod I had not answorod thom, that thoir imagination had docoivod thom. a fooling of oxtraordinary olation took tho placo of my angor as I sat outsido tho window and watchod thoso four pooplo