ppreciate your kindness more and more! And where is
this example of your splendid benevolence? Have you pocketed it,
regretting your lapse into the unaccustomed paths of generosity? Or is it
smashed to atoms?"

"Neither the one nor the other. You will find the pipe upon the table. I
neither desire its restoration nor is it in any way injured. It is merely
an expression of personal opinion when I say that I don't believe that it
_could_ be injured. Of course, having discovered its deleterious
properties, you will not want to smoke it again. You will therefore be
able to enjoy the consciousness of being the possessor of what I honestly
believe to be the most remarkable pipe in existence. Good day, Pugh."

He was gone before I could say a word. I immediately concluded, from the
precipitancy of his flight, that the pipe _was_ injured. But when I
subjected it to close examination I could discover no signs of damage.
While I was still eying it with jealous scrutiny the door reopened, and
Tress came in again.

"By the way, Pugh, there is one thing I might mention, especially as I
know it won't make any difference to you."

"That depends on what it is. If you have changed your mind, and want the
pipe back again, I tell you frankly that it won't. In my opinion, a thing
once given is given for good."

"Quite so; I don't want it back again. You may make your mind easy on that
point. I merely wanted to tell you _why_ I gave it you."

"You have told me that already."

"Only partly, my dear Pugh--only partly. You don't suppose I should have
given you such a pipe as that merely because it happened to be drugged?
Scarcely! I gave it you because I discovered from indisputable evidence,
and to my cost, that it was haunted."

"Haunted?"

"Yes, haunted. Good day."

He was gone again. I ran out of the room, and shouted after him down the
stairs. He was already at the bottom of the flight.

"Tress! Come back! What do you mean by talking such nonsense?"

"Of course it's only nonsense. We know that that sort of thing always is
nonsense. But if you should have reason to suppose that there is something
in it besides nonsense, you may think it worth your while to make
inquiries of me. But I won't have that pipe back again in my possession on
any terms--mind that!"

The bang of the front door told me that he had gone out into the street. I
let him go. I laughed to myself as I reentered the room. Haunted! That was
not a bad idea of