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He is what he hunts, Malachi had said I did not believe that but understood how Malachi e him, and the rest of the town as well, once it learned of the Anthropophagi onslaught

I did not think the doctor was a monster who hunted monsters, but I was about to meet a man who did-and was

TEN"The Best Man for the Job"

He was quite tall, well over six feet, theon the doctor’s doorstep, athletic of build and handsome in a boyish ith rather fine features and stylishly long flaxen hair His eyes were an odd shade of gray; in the glittering laht they appeared nearly black, but later, when I saw theray of charcoal dust or the hue of an ironclad warship He wore a traveling cloak and gloves, riding boots and a hole His olden like his mane of hair, so diaphanous it appeared to float above his full and sensuous lips

"Well!" he said with a note of surprise "Good evening, young man" He spoke with a refined British accent, a leonine purr of a voice, , sir," I said

"I a for the house of a dear friend of ht be lost Pellinore Warthrop is his name" With a sparkle in his eye he added, "My friend’s name, not the driver’s"

"This is Dr Warthrop’s house," I offered

"Ah, so it’s ‘Doctor’ Warthrop now, is it?" He chuckled softly "And who ht you be?"

"I am his assistant Apprentice," I corrected myself

"An assistant apprentice! Good for him And for you, I’m sure Tell me, Mr Assistant-Apprentice-"

"Will, sir My name is Will Henry"

"Henry! Now that name sounds familiar"

"My father served the doctor for iven name Benjamin?"

"No, sir It was-"

"Patrick," he said with a snap of his fingers "No You areto be his son Or his son’s son, if his son had one"

"It was James, sir"

"Was it? Are you quite certain it wasn’t Benjamin?"

From within, the doctor called loudly, "Will Henry! Who is at the door?"

Thehis eyes to the level of my own, and whispered, "Tell him"

"But you haven’t told me your name," I pointed out

"Is it necessary, Will Henry?" He produced a piece of stationery fronized the handwriting at once, of course, for it was my own "I know Pellinore didn’t write this letter; compose it, yes; write it, impossible! The man’s penmanship is atrocious"

"Will Henry!" the doctor said sharply behind lishman in the entryway

"It’s Dr Kearns, sir," I said

"My dear Pellinore," purred Kearns war past orously "How long has it been, old boy? Istanbul?"

" Tanzania," returned the doctor tightly

" Tanzania! Has it really been that long? And what the blazes did you do to your bloody forehead?"

"An accident," ood I thought perhaps you’d beco has it been since you’ve had a good night’s sleep or a decent meal? What happened? Did you fire the ust? And tell me whenever did you become a doctor?"

"I’m relieved you could come on such short notice, Kearns," said the doctor with that saatories "I’m afraid the situation has taken a turn for the worse"

"Hardly avoidable, old boy"

The doctor lowered his voice "The town constable is here"

"As bad a turn as that, then? How many have the rascals eaten since your letter?"

"Six"

"Six! In just three days? Very peculiar"

"Exactly what I thought Extraordinarily uncharacteristic of the species"