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-chapter vthe burglary at the vicarage the facts of the burglary at the vicaragecame to us chiefly through the medium of the vicar and his wife. it occurred in the small hours of whitmonday, the day devoted in iping to the club festivities. mrs. bunting, it seems, woke up suddenly inthe stillness that comes before the dawn, with the strong impression that the door oftheir bedroom had opened and closed. she did not arouse her husband at first,but sat up in bed listening. she then distinctly heard the pad, pad, padof bare feet coming out of the adjoining

dressing-room and walking along the passagetowards the staircase. as soon as she felt assured of this, shearoused the rev. mr. bunting as quietly as possible. he did not strike a light, but putting onhis spectacles, her dressing-gown and his bath slippers, he went out on the landingto listen. he heard quite distinctly a fumbling goingon at his study desk down-stairs, and then a violent sneeze. at that he returned to his bedroom, armedhimself with the most obvious weapon, the poker, and descended the staircase asnoiselessly as possible.

mrs. bunting came out on the landing. the hour was about four, and the ultimatedarkness of the night was past. there was a faint shimmer of light in thehall, but the study doorway yawned impenetrably black. everything was still except the faintcreaking of the stairs under mr. bunting's tread, and the slight movements in thestudy. then something snapped, the drawer wasopened, and there was a rustle of papers. then came an imprecation, and a match wasstruck and the study was flooded with yellow light.

mr. bunting was now in the hall, andthrough the crack of the door he could see the desk and the open drawer and a candleburning on the desk. but the robber he could not see. he stood there in the hall undecided whatto do, and mrs. bunting, her face white and intent, crept slowly downstairs after him. one thing kept mr. bunting's courage; thepersuasion that this burglar was a resident in the village. they heard the chink of money, and realisedthat the robber had found the housekeeping reserve of gold--two pounds ten in halfsovereigns altogether.

at that sound mr. bunting was nerved toabrupt action. gripping the poker firmly, he rushed intothe room, closely followed by mrs. bunting. "surrender!" cried mr. bunting, fiercely,and then stooped amazed. apparently the room was perfectly empty. yet their conviction that they had, thatvery moment, heard somebody moving in the room had amounted to a certainty. for half a minute, perhaps, they stoodgaping, then mrs. bunting went across the room and looked behind the screen, whilemr. bunting, by a kindred impulse, peered under the desk.

then mrs. bunting turned back the window-curtains, and mr. bunting looked up the chimney and probed it with the poker. then mrs. bunting scrutinised the waste-paper basket and mr. bunting opened the lid of the coal-scuttle.then they came to a stop and stood with eyes interrogating each other. "i could have sworn--" said mr. bunting."the candle!" said mr. bunting. "who lit the candle?""the drawer!" said mrs. bunting. "and the money's gone!" she went hastily to the doorway."of all the strange occurrences--"

there was a violent sneeze in the passage.they rushed out, and as they did so the kitchen door slammed. "bring the candle," said mr. bunting, andled the way. they both heard a sound of bolts beinghastily shot back. as he opened the kitchen door he sawthrough the scullery that the back door was just opening, and the faint light of earlydawn displayed the dark masses of the garden beyond. he is certain that nothing went out of thedoor. it opened, stood open for a moment, andthen closed with a slam.

as it did so, the candle mrs. bunting wascarrying from the study flickered and flared.it was a minute or more before they entered the kitchen. the place was empty.they refastened the back door, examined the kitchen, pantry, and scullery thoroughly,and at last went down into the cellar. there was not a soul to be found in thehouse, search as they would. daylight found the vicar and his wife, aquaintly-costumed little couple, still marvelling about on their own ground floorby the unnecessary light of a guttering candle.

chapter vithe furniture that went mad now it happened that in the early hours ofwhit monday, before millie was hunted out for the day, mr. hall and mrs. hall bothrose and went noiselessly down into the cellar. their business there was of a privatenature, and had something to do with the specific gravity of their beer. they had hardly entered the cellar whenmrs. hall found she had forgotten to bring down a bottle of sarsaparilla from theirjoint-room. as she was the expert and principaloperator in this affair, hall very properly

went upstairs for it.on the landing he was surprised to see that the stranger's door was ajar. he went on into his own room and found thebottle as he had been directed. but returning with the bottle, he noticedthat the bolts of the front door had been shot back, that the door was in fact simplyon the latch. and with a flash of inspiration heconnected this with the stranger's room upstairs and the suggestions of mr. teddyhenfrey. he distinctly remembered holding the candlewhile mrs. hall shot these bolts overnight. at the sight he stopped, gaping, then withthe bottle still in his hand went upstairs

again. he rapped at the stranger's door.there was no answer. he rapped again; then pushed the door wideopen and entered. it was as he expected. the bed, the room also, was empty. and what was stranger, even to his heavyintelligence, on the bedroom chair and along the rail of the bed were scatteredthe garments, the only garments so far as he knew, and the bandages of their guest. his big slouch hat even was cocked jauntilyover the bed-post.

as hall stood there he heard his wife'svoice coming out of the depth of the cellar, with that rapid telescoping of thesyllables and interrogative cocking up of the final words to a high note, by which the west sussex villager is wont toindicate a brisk impatience. "george!you gart whad a wand?" at that he turned and hurried down to her. "janny," he said, over the rail of thecellar steps, "'tas the truth what henfrey sez.'e's not in uz room, 'e en't. and the front door's onbolted."

at first mrs. hall did not understand, andas soon as she did she resolved to see the empty room for herself.hall, still holding the bottle, went first. "if 'e en't there," he said, "'is closeare. and what's 'e doin' 'ithout 'is close,then? 'tas a most curious business." as they came up the cellar steps they both,it was afterwards ascertained, fancied they heard the front door open and shut, butseeing it closed and nothing there, neither said a word to the other about it at thetime. mrs. hall passed her husband in the passageand ran on first upstairs.

someone sneezed on the staircase. hall, following six steps behind, thoughtthat he heard her sneeze. she, going on first, was under theimpression that hall was sneezing. she flung open the door and stood regardingthe room. "of all the curious!" she said. she heard a sniff close behind her head asit seemed, and turning, was surprised to see hall a dozen feet off on the topmoststair. but in another moment he was beside her. she bent forward and put her hand on thepillow and then under the clothes.

"cold," she said."he's been up this hour or more." as she did so, a most extraordinary thinghappened. the bed-clothes gathered themselvestogether, leapt up suddenly into a sort of peak, and then jumped headlong over thebottom rail. it was exactly as if a hand had clutchedthem in the centre and flung them aside. immediately after, the stranger's hathopped off the bed-post, described a whirling flight in the air through thebetter part of a circle, and then dashed straight at mrs. hall's face. then as swiftly came the sponge from thewashstand; and then the chair, flinging the

stranger's coat and trousers carelesslyaside, and laughing drily in a voice singularly like the stranger's, turned itself up with its four legs at mrs. hall,seemed to take aim at her for a moment, and charged at her. she screamed and turned, and then the chairlegs came gently but firmly against her back and impelled her and hall out of theroom. the door slammed violently and was locked. the chair and bed seemed to be executing adance of triumph for a moment, and then abruptly everything was still.

mrs. hall was left almost in a faintingcondition in mr. hall's arms on the landing. it was with the greatest difficulty thatmr. hall and millie, who had been roused by her scream of alarm, succeeded in gettingher downstairs, and applying the restoratives customary in such cases. "'tas sperits," said mrs. hall."i know 'tas sperits. i've read in papers of en.tables and chairs leaping and dancing..." "take a drop more, janny," said hall. "'twill steady ye.""lock him out," said mrs. hall.

"don't let him come in again.i half guessed--i might ha' known. with them goggling eyes and bandaged head,and never going to church of a sunday. and all they bottles--more'n it's right forany one to have. he's put the sperits into the furniture.... my good old furniture!'twas in that very chair my poor dear mother used to sit when i was a littlegirl. to think it should rise up against me now!" "just a drop more, janny," said hall."your nerves is all upset." they sent millie across the street throughthe golden five o'clock sunshine to rouse

up mr. sandy wadgers, the blacksmith. mr. hall's compliments and the furnitureupstairs was behaving most extraordinary. would mr. wadgers come round?he was a knowing man, was mr. wadgers, and very resourceful. he took quite a grave view of the case."arm darmed if thet ent witchcraft," was the view of mr. sandy wadgers."you warnt horseshoes for such gentry as he." he came round greatly concerned.they wanted him to lead the way upstairs to the room, but he didn't seem to be in anyhurry.

he preferred to talk in the passage. over the way huxter's apprentice came outand began taking down the shutters of the tobacco window.he was called over to join the discussion. mr. huxter naturally followed over in thecourse of a few minutes. the anglo-saxon genius for parliamentarygovernment asserted itself; there was a great deal of talk and no decisive action. "let's have the facts first," insisted mr.sandy wadgers. "let's be sure we'd be acting perfectlyright in bustin' that there door open. a door onbust is always open to bustin',but ye can't onbust a door once you've

busted en." and suddenly and most wonderfully the doorof the room upstairs opened of its own accord, and as they looked up in amazement,they saw descending the stairs the muffled figure of the stranger staring more blackly and blankly than ever with thoseunreasonably large blue glass eyes of his. he came down stiffly and slowly, staringall the time; he walked across the passage staring, then stopped. "look there!" he said, and their eyesfollowed the direction of his gloved finger and saw a bottle of sarsaparilla hard bythe cellar door.

then he entered the parlour, and suddenly,swiftly, viciously, slammed the door in their faces.not a word was spoken until the last echoes of the slam had died away. they stared at one another."well, if that don't lick everything!" said mr. wadgers, and left the alternativeunsaid. "i'd go in and ask'n 'bout it," saidwadgers, to mr. hall. "i'd d'mand an explanation."it took some time to bring the landlady's husband up to that pitch. at last he rapped, opened the door, and gotas far as, "excuse me--"

"go to the devil!" said the stranger in atremendous voice, and "shut that door after you." so that brief interview terminated. chapter viithe unveiling of the stranger the stranger went into the little parlourof the "coach and horses" about half-past five in the morning, and there he remaineduntil near midday, the blinds down, the door shut, and none, after hall's repulse,venturing near him. all that time he must have fasted. thrice he rang his bell, the third timefuriously and continuously, but no one

answered him."him and his 'go to the devil' indeed!" said mrs. hall. presently came an imperfect rumour of theburglary at the vicarage, and two and two were put together. hall, assisted by wadgers, went off to findmr. shuckleforth, the magistrate, and take his advice.no one ventured upstairs. how the stranger occupied himself isunknown. now and then he would stride violently upand down, and twice came an outburst of curses, a tearing of paper, and a violentsmashing of bottles.

the little group of scared but curiouspeople increased. mrs. huxter came over; some gay youngfellows resplendent in black ready-made jackets and pique paper ties--for it waswhit monday--joined the group with confused interrogations. young archie harker distinguished himselfby going up the yard and trying to peep under the window-blinds. he could see nothing, but gave reason forsupposing that he did, and others of the iping youth presently joined him. it was the finest of all possible whitmondays, and down the village street stood

a row of nearly a dozen booths, a shootinggallery, and on the grass by the forge were three yellow and chocolate waggons and some picturesque strangers of both sexes puttingup a cocoanut shy. the gentlemen wore blue jerseys, the ladieswhite aprons and quite fashionable hats with heavy plumes. wodger, of the "purple fawn," and mr.jaggers, the cobbler, who also sold old second-hand ordinary bicycles, werestretching a string of union-jacks and royal ensigns (which had originally celebrated the first victorian jubilee)across the road.

and inside, in the artificial darkness ofthe parlour, into which only one thin jet of sunlight penetrated, the stranger,hungry we must suppose, and fearful, hidden in his uncomfortable hot wrappings, pored through his dark glasses upon his paper orchinked his dirty little bottles, and occasionally swore savagely at the boys,audible if invisible, outside the windows. in the corner by the fireplace lay thefragments of half a dozen smashed bottles, and a pungent twang of chlorine tainted theair. so much we know from what was heard at thetime and from what was subsequently seen in the room.

about noon he suddenly opened his parlourdoor and stood glaring fixedly at the three or four people in the bar."mrs. hall," he said. somebody went sheepishly and called formrs. hall. mrs. hall appeared after an interval, alittle short of breath, but all the fiercer for that. hall was still out.she had deliberated over this scene, and she came holding a little tray with anunsettled bill upon it. "is it your bill you're wanting, sir?" shesaid. "why wasn't my breakfast laid?why haven't you prepared my meals and

answered my bell? do you think i live without eating?""why isn't my bill paid?" said mrs. hall. "that's what i want to know.""i told you three days ago i was awaiting a remittance--" "i told you two days ago i wasn't going toawait no remittances. you can't grumble if your breakfast waits abit, if my bill's been waiting these five days, can you?" the stranger swore briefly but vividly."nar, nar!" from the bar. "and i'd thank you kindly, sir, if you'dkeep your swearing to yourself, sir," said

mrs. hall. the stranger stood looking more like anangry diving-helmet than ever. it was universally felt in the bar thatmrs. hall had the better of him. his next words showed as much. "look here, my good woman--" he began."don't 'good woman' me," said mrs. hall. "i've told you my remittance hasn't come.""remittance indeed!" said mrs. hall. "still, i daresay in my pocket--" "you told me three days ago that you hadn'tanything but a sovereign's worth of silver upon you.""well, i've found some more--"

"'ul-lo!" from the bar. "i wonder where you found it," said mrs.hall. that seemed to annoy the stranger verymuch. he stamped his foot. "what do you mean?" he said."that i wonder where you found it," said "and before i take any bills or get anybreakfasts, or do any such things whatsoever, you got to tell me one or twothings i don't understand, and what nobody don't understand, and what everybody isvery anxious to understand. i want to know what you been doing t'mychair upstairs, and i want to know how 'tis

your room was empty, and how you got inagain. them as stops in this house comes in by thedoors--that's the rule of the house, and that you didn't do, and what i want to knowis how you did come in. and i want to know--" suddenly the stranger raised his glovedhands clenched, stamped his foot, and said, "stop!" with such extraordinary violencethat he silenced her instantly. "you don't understand," he said, "who i amor what i am. i'll show you.by heaven! i'll show you."

then he put his open palm over his face andwithdrew it. the centre of his face became a blackcavity. "here," he said. he stepped forward and handed mrs. hallsomething which she, staring at his metamorphosed face, accepted automatically. then, when she saw what it was, shescreamed loudly, dropped it, and staggered back.the nose--it was the stranger's nose! pink and shining--rolled on the floor. then he removed his spectacles, andeveryone in the bar gasped.

he took off his hat, and with a violentgesture tore at his whiskers and bandages. for a moment they resisted him. a flash of horrible anticipation passedthrough the bar. "oh, my gard!" said some one.then off they came. it was worse than anything. mrs. hall, standing open-mouthed andhorror-struck, shrieked at what she saw, and made for the door of the house.everyone began to move. they were prepared for scars,disfigurements, tangible horrors, but nothing!

the bandages and false hair flew across thepassage into the bar, making a hobbledehoy jump to avoid them.everyone tumbled on everyone else down the steps. for the man who stood there shouting someincoherent explanation, was a solid gesticulating figure up to the coat-collarof him, and then--nothingness, no visible thing at all! people down the village heard shouts andshrieks, and looking up the street saw the "coach and horses" violently firing out itshumanity. they saw mrs. hall fall down and mr. teddyhenfrey jump to avoid tumbling over her,

and then they heard the frightful screamsof millie, who, emerging suddenly from the kitchen at the noise of the tumult, had come upon the headless stranger frombehind. these increased suddenly. forthwith everyone all down the street, thesweetstuff seller, cocoanut shy proprietor and his assistant, the swing man, littleboys and girls, rustic dandies, smart wenches, smocked elders and aproned gipsies--began running towards the inn, andin a miraculously short space of time a crowd of perhaps forty people, and rapidlyincreasing, swayed and hooted and inquired

and exclaimed and suggested, in front ofmrs. hall's establishment. everyone seemed eager to talk at once, andthe result was babel. a small group supported mrs. hall, who waspicked up in a state of collapse. there was a conference, and the incredibleevidence of a vociferous eye-witness. "o bogey!" "what's he been doin', then?""ain't hurt the girl, 'as 'e?" "run at en with a knife, i believe.""no 'ed, i tell ye. i don't mean no manner of speaking. i mean marn 'ithout a 'ed!""narnsense!

'tis some conjuring trick.""fetched off 'is wrapping, 'e did--" in its struggles to see in through the opendoor, the crowd formed itself into a straggling wedge, with the more adventurousapex nearest the inn. "he stood for a moment, i heerd the galscream, and he turned. i saw her skirts whisk, and he went afterher. didn't take ten seconds. back he comes with a knife in uz hand anda loaf; stood just as if he was staring. not a moment ago.went in that there door. i tell 'e, 'e ain't gart no 'ed at all.

you just missed en--" there was a disturbance behind, and thespeaker stopped to step aside for a little procession that was marching veryresolutely towards the house; first mr. hall, very red and determined, then mr. bobby jaffers, the village constable, andthen the wary mr. wadgers. they had come now armed with a warrant.people shouted conflicting information of the recent circumstances. "'ed or no 'ed," said jaffers, "i got to'rest en, and 'rest en i will." mr. hall marched up the steps, marchedstraight to the door of the parlour and

flung it open. "constable," he said, "do your duty."jaffers marched in. hall next, wadgers last. they saw in the dim light the headlessfigure facing them, with a gnawed crust of bread in one gloved hand and a chunk ofcheese in the other. "that's him!" said hall. "what the devil's this?" came in a tone ofangry expostulation from above the collar of the figure."you're a damned rum customer, mister," said mr. jaffers.

"but 'ed or no 'ed, the warrant says'body,' and duty's duty--" "keep off!" said the figure, starting back. abruptly he whipped down the bread andcheese, and mr. hall just grasped the knife on the table in time to save it.off came the stranger's left glove and was slapped in jaffers' face. in another moment jaffers, cutting shortsome statement concerning a warrant, had gripped him by the handless wrist andcaught his invisible throat. he got a sounding kick on the shin thatmade him shout, but he kept his grip. hall sent the knife sliding along the tableto wadgers, who acted as goal-keeper for

the offensive, so to speak, and thenstepped forward as jaffers and the stranger swayed and staggered towards him, clutchingand hitting in. a chair stood in the way, and went asidewith a crash as they came down together. "get the feet," said jaffers between histeeth. mr. hall, endeavouring to act oninstructions, received a sounding kick in the ribs that disposed of him for a moment,and mr. wadgers, seeing the decapitated stranger had rolled over and got the upper side of jaffers, retreated towards thedoor, knife in hand, and so collided with mr. huxter and the sidderbridge cartercoming to the rescue of law and order.

at the same moment down came three or fourbottles from the chiffonnier and shot a web of pungency into the air of the room. "i'll surrender," cried the stranger,though he had jaffers down, and in another moment he stood up panting, a strangefigure, headless and handless--for he had pulled off his right glove now as well ashis left. "it's no good," he said, as if sobbing forbreath. it was the strangest thing in the world tohear that voice coming as if out of empty space, but the sussex peasants are perhapsthe most matter-of-fact people under the sun.

jaffers got up also and produced a pair ofhandcuffs. then he stared. "i say!" said jaffers, brought up short bya dim realization of the incongruity of the whole business, "darn it!can't use 'em as i can see." the stranger ran his arm down hiswaistcoat, and as if by a miracle the buttons to which his empty sleeve pointedbecame undone. then he said something about his shin, andstooped down. he seemed to be fumbling with his shoes andsocks. "why!" said huxter, suddenly, "that's not aman at all.

it's just empty clothes.look! you can see down his collar and the liningsof his clothes. i could put my arm--" he extended his hand; it seemed to meetsomething in mid-air, and he drew it back with a sharp exclamation. "i wish you'd keep your fingers out of myeye," said the aerial voice, in a tone of savage expostulation. "the fact is, i'm all here--head, hands,legs, and all the rest of it, but it happens i'm invisible.it's a confounded nuisance, but i am.

that's no reason why i should be poked topieces by every stupid bumpkin in iping, is it?" the suit of clothes, now all unbuttoned andhanging loosely upon its unseen supports, stood up, arms akimbo. several other of the men folks had nowentered the room, so that it was closely crowded."invisible, eh?" said huxter, ignoring the stranger's abuse. "who ever heard the likes of that?""it's strange, perhaps, but it's not a crime.why am i assaulted by a policeman in this

fashion?" "ah! that's a different matter," saidjaffers. "no doubt you are a bit difficult to see inthis light, but i got a warrant and it's all correct. what i'm after ain't no invisibility,--it'sburglary. there's a house been broke into and moneytook." "well?" "and circumstances certainly point--""stuff and nonsense!" said the invisible man."i hope so, sir; but i've got my

instructions." "well," said the stranger, "i'll come.i'll come. but no handcuffs.""it's the regular thing," said jaffers. "no handcuffs," stipulated the stranger. "pardon me," said jaffers.abruptly the figure sat down, and before any one could realise was was being done,the slippers, socks, and trousers had been kicked off under the table. then he sprang up again and flung off hiscoat. "here, stop that," said jaffers, suddenlyrealising what was happening.

he gripped at the waistcoat; it struggled,and the shirt slipped out of it and left it limply and empty in his hand."hold him!" said jaffers, loudly. "once he gets the things off--" "hold him!" cried everyone, and there was arush at the fluttering white shirt which was now all that was visible of thestranger. the shirt-sleeve planted a shrewd blow inhall's face that stopped his open-armed advance, and sent him backward into oldtoothsome the sexton, and in another moment the garment was lifted up and became convulsed and vacantly flapping about thearms, even as a shirt that is being thrust

over a man's head. jaffers clutched at it, and only helped topull it off; he was struck in the mouth out of the air, and incontinently threw histruncheon and smote teddy henfrey savagely upon the crown of his head. "look out!" said everybody, fencing atrandom and hitting at nothing. "hold him!shut the door! don't let him loose! i got something!here he is!" a perfect babel of noises they made.

everybody, it seemed, was being hit all atonce, and sandy wadgers, knowing as ever and his wits sharpened by a frightful blowin the nose, reopened the door and led the rout. the others, following incontinently, werejammed for a moment in the corner by the doorway.the hitting continued. phipps, the unitarian, had a front toothbroken, and henfrey was injured in the cartilage of his ear. jaffers was struck under the jaw, and,turning, caught at something that intervened between him and huxter in themelee, and prevented their coming together.

he felt a muscular chest, and in anothermoment the whole mass of struggling, excited men shot out into the crowded hall. "i got him!" shouted jaffers, choking andreeling through them all, and wrestling with purple face and swelling veins againsthis unseen enemy. men staggered right and left as theextraordinary conflict swayed swiftly towards the house door, and went spinningdown the half-dozen steps of the inn. jaffers cried in a strangled voice--holdingtight, nevertheless, and making play with his knee--spun around, and fell heavilyundermost with his head on the gravel. only then did his fingers relax.

there were excited cries of "hold him!" "invisible!" and so forth, and a youngfellow, a stranger in the place whose name did not come to light, rushed in at once,caught something, missed his hold, and fell over the constable's prostrate body. half-way across the road a woman screamedas something pushed by her; a dog, kicked apparently, yelped and ran howling intohuxter's yard, and with that the transit of the invisible man was accomplished. for a space people stood amazed andgesticulating, and then came panic, and scattered them abroad through the villageas a gust scatters dead leaves.

but jaffers lay quite still, face upwardand knees bent, at the foot of the steps of the inn.

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