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"And you’re quite certain it’s Anthropophagi?"

"Without a doubt There’s one hanging in my basement if you’d care to-"

At that an appeared in the library doorway, his round eyes narrowed suspiciously behind his spectacles Kearns spied him over the doctor’s shoulder, and his cherubic countenance lit up His teeth were astonishingly bright and straight for an Englishood," said Warthrop He appeared somewhat relieved, as if the constable’s appearance had freed hian, this is Dr-"

"Cory," said Kearns, extending his hand forcibly at Morgan "Richard Cory How do you do?"

"Not well," answered the constable "It has been a very long day, Dr Cory"

"Please: ‘Richard’ ‘Doctor’ is an tilted back his chin; his spectacles flashed "Warthrop inforeon"

"Oh, I dabbled inelse I haven’t sliced anyone open in years"

"Is that so?" inquired the constable courteously "And why is that?"

"Got boring after a bit, to tell you the truth I am easily bored, Constable, which is the chief reason I dropped everything to answer Pellinore’s kind invitation Bloody good sport, this business"

"It is bloody," rejoined Morgan "But I would hardly call it sport"

"I’ll admit it isn’t cricket or squash, but it’s far superior to hunting fox or quail Pales in coan!"

He turned to the doctor "My driver is waiting at the curb The fare needs settling up, and I’ve soe, of course"

It took a"You intend to stay here?"

"I thought it the most prudent course The less I’reed the doctor after a pause "Of course Here, Will Henry" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his money clip " Pay Dr Kear-Cory’s-"

"Richard’s," interjected Kearns

"-driver," coe up to the extra room"

"Extra room, sir?"

"My mother’s old room"

"Why, Pellinore, I’m honored," said Kearns

"Snap to, Will Henry We’ll have a late night of it, and we’ll be wanting so to eat"

Kearns pulled off his gloves, shrugged off his cape, and dropped them and his hat into my arms

"There are two valises, three crates, and one large wooden box, Master Henry," he infore The box and trunks you can’t, but the driver may lend a hand if you provide the proper incentive I would suggest you carry the crates around to the carriage house The suitcases and the box o to ile And a spot of tea sounds spectacularly satisfying Do you know they had none on the train? Aly uncivilized country I take ood lad"

He winked and ruffled entle day, Robert, but the night will be longer, I assure you!"

The men retired to the library while I and the driver, once his palage The aforementioned wooden box proved to be the e crates we carted to the carriage house, the box was at least six feet long and wrapped in a slick silkythe turn of the stairs presented a particular proble the box on its end and pivoting it around the corner The driver cursed and swore and sweated profusely, co the entire enterprise of his back, his hands, his legs, and the fact that he was no beast of burden-he was a driver of the that would have made excellent handholds, and he wondered aloud why anyone would bother to wrap a wooden box in bedsheets

Next I went to the kitchen for the tea and cakes, and at last to the library bearing the tray As I entered, I realized I had set out only three cups; I would have to go back for another; and then I saw that O’Brien was gone, sent hoan, whoof their nascent conspiracy

Thethe marked-up map as Warthrop pointed to a spot of coastline

"This round Impossible to say, of course, the precise location where they came ashore, but here"-he picked up the newspaper fro boy who the authorities believed ran off to sea, teeks later and twenty miles inland Each circle, here, here, here," he said as he jabbed each spot, "et cetera, represents a potential victi or were discovered several days or weeks later, their injuries attributed to the foraging of wild ani dates in each of the circles As you can see, gentle activities of our uninvited guests, the record indicates a cone of distribution, a gradual ration that leads here, to New Jerusalean sucked on his pipe, long since gone out, and regarded the ave a noncorunt and smoothed his nearly invisible er Warthrop went on, speaking in that sa tone to which I had so often been subjected He realized it was unlikely that this twenty-four-yearthe cause of these mysterious disappearances and deaths, but, as there could be no other reasonable explanation, it must have happened that way

At this point Kearns interrupted, "I can think of another"