Letter after letter the message came, nineteen raps for
"s," eight for "h," five for "e," according to the place in the
alphabet, numerically, of the required letter. At last it was
complete.
"She thinks you are not well. She asks you to have that
prescription filled again."
"Tell her I will do it to-morrow morning. Is there anything
else?"
Rap! rap! came back faintly:
"John, John, don't go yet," pleaded the old man earnestly. It was
easy to see how thoroughly he believed in "John," as perhaps well
he might after the warning of his wife's death three nights
before. "Won't you answer one other question?"
Fainter, almost imperceptibly, came a rap! rap!
For several minutes the old man sat absorbed in thought,
trance-like. Then, gradually, he seemed to realise that we were
in the room with him. With difficulty he took up the thread of
the conversation where the rappings had broken it.
"We were talking about the photographs," he said slowly. "I hope
soon to get one of my wife as she is now that she is
transfigured. John has promised me one soon."
He was gathering up his treasures preparatory to putting them
back in their places of safekeeping. The moment he was out of the
room Craig darted into the cabinet and replaced his mechanism in
the box.
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