ey were as unused to
dining under such circumstances as I was. We ate in silence until the
old woman blundered into the room with some sweets and put them with a
crash upon the table.

"'Are you a stranger about here?' inquired the curious voice again.

"I replied in the affirmative, and murmured something about my luck in
stumbling upon such a good dinner.

"'Stumbling is a very good word for it,' said the voice grimly. 'You
have forgotten the port, father.'

"'So I have,' said the old man, rising. 'It's a bottle of the
"Celebrated" to-day; I will get it myself.'

"He felt his way to the door, and closing it behind him, left me alone
with my unseen neighbour. There was something so strange about the whole
business that I must confess to more than a slight feeling of uneasiness.

"My host seemed to be absent a long time. I heard the man opposite lay
down his fork and spoon, and half fancied I could see a pair of wild eyes
shining through the gloom like a cat's.

"With a growing sense of uneasiness I pushed my chair back. It caught
the hearthrug, and in my efforts to disentangle it the screen fell over
with a crash and in the flickering light of the fire I saw the face of
the creature opposite. With a sharp catch of my breath I left my chair
and stood with clenched fists beside it. Man or beast, which was it?
The flame leaped up and then went out, and in the mere red glow of the
fire it looked more devilish than before.

"For a few moments we regarded each other in silence; then the door
opened and the old man returned. He stood aghast as he saw the warm
firelight, and then approaching the table mechanically put down a couple
of bottles.

"'I beg your pardon,' said I, reassured by his presence, 'but I have
accidentally overturned the screen. Allow me to replace it.'

"'No,' said the old man, gently, 'let it be.

"'We have had enough of the dark. I'll give you a light.'

"He struck a match and slowly lit the candles. Then--I saw that the man
opposite had but the remnant of a face, a gaunt wolfish face in which one
unquenched eye, the sole remaining feature, still glittered. I was
greatly moved, some suspicion of the truth occurring to me.

"'My son was injured some years ago in a burning house,' said the old
man. 'Since then we have lived a very retired life. When you came to
the door we--' his voice trembled, 'that is-my son---'

"'I thought," said the son simply, 'that it would be better f