Page:Weird Tales v15n01 1930-01.djvu/119

Anthony-all of them. Nero interested me immensely; so did Caligula. They actually did burn the Christians; great sport they made of it."

The annoying affirmative stood on the tip of my tongue.

"Damn!" said I loudly. The girl in front looked around with raised eyebrows.

"Odd that you shouldn't want to say 'yes,'" said the stranger. "Such an easy word." How did he know that I didn't want to say yes? He continued. "That question, too, is simple. Your thoughts make vivid telepathic impressions."

The train flew past a small village.

"What village was that?" asked the stranger casually.

"I couldn't say," I replied, somewhat nettled. "I find it difficult enough to keep in mind the main stations here and on the Continent. However, I'm sure we're very near Dover."

"That is where I get off."

"And I."

For a while the stranger was silent. About thirty miles from Dover he began again.

"You know, second sight wouldn't be possible if it were not for the vibrations sent out by matter."

"Yes?"

"Yes. Everything sends out vibrations. Future and past events send out vibrations—in the fourth dimension, of course."

"But how can you get into this fourth dimension?""

"Telepathy, my dear sir. One merely projects thought waves into the fourth dimension."

I wondered whether or not to turn this man over to the authorities; certainly he was demented! What else could account for his conversation. I have never heard a conversation so outré.

"Have you traveled much?" There was a disconcerting smile on his lips—almost as if I had secretly told him my thoughts.

"Oh, a bit. Mostly in Europe, however."

"Never been to China?"

"No."

"I went to China years ago. I studied the history of China in the fourth dimension from far beyond the Hsia Dynasty, about 2300 B. C., to the present day. The civilization of ancient China has never been equaled. Collectors become very enthusiastic over original Ming pottery; they should see Shan pottery. You would have liked to see Shih-Hwang-Ti engineer the building of the Great Wall of China."

A brakeman stuck his head into the car and shouted. "Dover!" The stranger jumped up before the train stopped and got out into the aisle. He tapped the toe of his shoe with his ebony cane.

"Yes," he said. "I liked China. I had a horrible experience there, by the way."

The brakeman stuck his head into the car and shouted again; I remembered that over here brakemen were called guards. The train began to slow down. I got up slowly and reached for my portfolio.

"I was in the Boxer Rebellion of 1900," he began again. Both of us moved out onto the platform. In the semi-darkness the stranger turned to me. "The Chinese are most diabolical at times—especially in the way they torture their prisoners."

"Yes?" said I for the last time.

"Yes. Look what they did to me!"

With a sudden jerk at the black cord he pulled the glasses from his face. For a moment he confronted me; then he jumped from the still moving train into the night. I fell back against the wall of the car, my grip tightening convulsively on the iron railing. I think I screamed; I do not quite remember.

For where his eyes should have been, there were two black pits!