Page:Weird Tales Volume 5 Number 1 (1925-01).djvu/35

"They heard me—what?"

"Ring. You must have rung just before you fainted."

"Then, the bell—rang!"

"Of course. Oh—!" She suddenly remembered. "I'd forgotten! It was that bell which gave poor Hodgkins so much trouble, wasn't it? He must have fixed it just in time. . . . Oh, Geoffrey, suppose he hadn't! And now—and now he's dead! Did you know that, Geoffrey?"

"Yes, I heard so today."

The answer came from him mechanically. He had been opening letters while they talked, and at that moment he had reached one which he held for a second in his hand. He was not given to premonitions, but he was seized with a perfectly genuine one as he read the neat letterhead at the top of the sheet. It was with something of an effort that he drew his eves from the conventional form of address, from the opening lines that expressed regret at his illness, and fixed them upon the paragraph which was the meat of the communication.

"I must tell you something which I am sure will interest you very much, as I have often heard you wish that you personally might receive some message from the other side. At a recent séance, held by some members of this society, a message came through that was clearly sent to you. It was very indistinct, very cloudy, as though coming from one who had only just passed over. The name of the sender was doubtful; it might have been Hodges, or Hopkins. The message itself was quite incoherent. It seemed to refer to a bell, and two words, steadily reiterated, finally resolved themselves into 'as obligated'. It will be most interesting if you can throw any light on this evident attempt to communicate."

Sir Geoffrey, a little shaken, stared at the letter. He continued to stare until his wife reminded him that the eggs were getting cold. . . .