is hands forward to brace himself back, yet constantly
advanced upon his elbows.

IV

Dr. Druring and his wife sat in the library. The scientist was in rare
good humor.

"I have just obtained by exchange with another collector," he said, "a
splendid specimen of the _ophiophagus_."

"And what may that be?" the lady inquired with a somewhat languid
interest.

"Why, bless my soul, what profound ignorance! My dear, a man who
ascertains after marriage that his wife does not know Greek is entitled
to a divorce. The _ophiophagus_ is a snake that eats other snakes."

"I hope it will eat all yours," she said, absently shifting the lamp.
"But how does it get the other snakes? By charming them, I suppose."

"That is just like you, dear," said the doctor, with an affectation of
petulance. "You know how irritating to me is any allusion to that vulgar
superstition about a snake's power of fascination."

The conversation was interrupted by a mighty cry, which rang through the
silent house like the voice of a demon shouting in a tomb! Again and yet
again it sounded, with terrible distinctness. They sprang to their feet,
the man confused, the lady pale and speechless with fright. Almost
before the echoes of the last cry had died away the doctor was out of
the room, springing up the stairs two steps at a time. In the corridor
in front of Brayton's chamber he met some servants who had come from the
upper floor. Together they rushed at the door without knocking. It was
unfastened and gave way. Brayton lay upon his stomach on the floor,
dead. His head and arms were partly concealed under the foot rail of the
bed. They pulled the body away, turning it upon the back. The face was
daubed with blood and froth, the eyes were wide open, staring--a
dreadful sight!

"Died in a fit," said the scientist, bending his knee and placing his
hand upon the heart. While in that position, he chanced to look under
the bed. "Good God!" he added, "how did this thing get in here?"

He reached under the bed, pulled out the snake and flung it, still
coiled, to the center of the room, whence with a harsh, shuffling sound
it slid across the polished floor till stopped by the wall, where it lay
without motion. It was a stuffed snake; its eyes were two shoe buttons.

A HOLY TERROR

I

There was an entire lack of interest in the latest arrival at
Hurdy-Gurdy. He was not even christened with the picturesquely
descriptive nick-name which is so freq