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01 - The Invisible Man - H G Wells · Daily Sci-Fi Books

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Speaker 1: The Invisible Matten by H. G. Wells, Chapter one, The
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Speaker 1: Strange Man's Arrival. The Stranger came early in February one
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Speaker 1: wintry day, through a biting wind and a driving snow,
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Speaker 1: the last snowfall of the year, over the down, Walking
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Speaker 1: from Bramblehurst Railway station and carrying a little black portmanteau
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Speaker 1: in his thickly gloved hand. He was wrapped up from
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Speaker 1: head to foot, and the brim of his soft felt
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Speaker 1: hat hid every inch of his face but the shiny
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Speaker 1: tip of his nose. The snow had piled itself against
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Speaker 1: his shoulders and chest, and added a white crest to
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Speaker 1: the burden he carried. He staggered into the coach and
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Speaker 1: horses more dead than alive, and flung his portmanteau down
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Speaker 1: a fire. He cried, in the name of human charity,
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Speaker 1: a room and a fire. He stamped and shook the
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Speaker 1: snow from off himself in the bar, and followed Missus
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Speaker 1: Hall into her guest parlor to strike his bargain. And
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Speaker 1: with that much introduction, that and a couple of sovereigns
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Speaker 1: flung upon the table, he took up his quarters in
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Speaker 1: the inn. Missus Hall lit the fire and left him
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Speaker 1: there while she went to prepare him a meal with
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Speaker 1: her own hands. A guest to stop at iping in
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Speaker 1: the winter time was an unheard of piece of luck,
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Speaker 1: let alone a guest who was no haggler, and she
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Speaker 1: resolved to show herself worthy of her good fortune. As
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Speaker 1: soon as the bacon was well under way, and Milly
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Speaker 1: her lymphatic aid had been brisked up a bit by
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Speaker 1: a few deftly chosen expressions of contempt, she carried the cloth,
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Speaker 1: plates and glasses into the parlor and began to lay
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Speaker 1: them with the utmost igler. Although the fire was burning
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Speaker 1: up briskly. She was surprised to see that her visitor
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Speaker 1: still wore his hat and coat, standing with his back
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Speaker 1: to her and staring out of the window at the
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Speaker 1: falling snow in the yard. His gloved hands were clasped
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Speaker 1: behind him, and he seemed to be lost in thought.
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Speaker 1: She noticed that the melting snows still sprinkled his shoulders
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Speaker 1: dripped upon her carpet. Can I take your hat and coat, sir,
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Speaker 1: she said, and give them a good dry in the kitchen, No,
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Speaker 1: he said, without turning. She was not sure she had
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Speaker 1: heard him, and was about to repeat her question. He
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Speaker 1: turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder.
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Speaker 1: I prefer to keep them on, he said, with emphasis,
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Speaker 1: and she noticed that he wore big blue spectacles with
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Speaker 1: side lights, and had a bush side whisker over his
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Speaker 1: coat collar that completely hid his cheeks and face. Very well, sir,
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Speaker 1: she said, as you like. In a bit, the room
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Speaker 1: will be warmer. He made no answer and had turned
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Speaker 1: his face away from her again, and missus Hall, feeling
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Speaker 1: that her conversational advances were ill timed, laid the rest
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Speaker 1: of the table things in a quick staccato and whisked
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Speaker 1: out of the room. When she returned, he was still
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Speaker 1: standing there like a man of stone, his back hunched,
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Speaker 1: his collar turned up, his dripping hat brim turned down,
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Speaker 1: hiding his face and ears completely. She put down the
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Speaker 1: eggs and bacon with conscer dable emphasis and called, rather
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Speaker 1: than said, to him, your lunch is served, sir. Thank you,
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Speaker 1: he said at the same time, and did not stir
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Speaker 1: until she was closing the door. Then he swung round
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Speaker 1: and approached the table with a certain eager quickness. As
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Speaker 1: she went behind the bar to the kitchen, she heard
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Speaker 1: a sound repeated at regular intervals cherk, cherk, cherk. It
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Speaker 1: went the sound of a spoon being rapidly whisked around
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Speaker 1: a basin. That girl, she said there, I'd clean forgot it,
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Speaker 1: it's her being so long. And while she herself finished
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Speaker 1: mixing the mustard, she gave Milly a few verbal stabs
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Speaker 1: for her excessive slowness. She had cooked the ham and eggs,
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Speaker 1: laid the table, and done everything while Milly help indeed,
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Speaker 1: had only succeeded in delaying the mustard and him a
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Speaker 1: new guest and wanting to stay. Then she filled the
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Speaker 1: mustard pot, and putting it with a certain stateliness upon
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Speaker 1: a golden black tea tray, carried it into the parlor.
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Speaker 1: She rapped and entered promptly. As she did so, her
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Speaker 1: visitor moved quickly, so that she got but a glimpse
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Speaker 1: of a white object disappearing behind the table. It would
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Speaker 1: seem he was picking something from the floor. She rapped
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Speaker 1: down the mustard pot on the table. Then she noticed
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Speaker 1: the overcoat and hat had been taken off and put
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Speaker 1: over a chair in front of the fire, and a
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Speaker 1: pair of wet boots threatened rust to her steel fender.
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Speaker 1: She went to these things resolutely. I suppose I may
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Speaker 1: have them to dry now, she said, in a voice
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Speaker 1: that brooked no denial. Leave the hat, said her visitor
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Speaker 1: in a muffled voice, and turning she saw he had
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Speaker 1: raised his head and was sitting and looking at her.
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Speaker 1: For a moment she stood gaping at him, too surprised
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Speaker 1: to speak. He held a white cloth. It was a
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Speaker 1: serviette he had brought with him over the lower part
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Speaker 1: of his face, so that his mouth and jaws were
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Speaker 1: completely hidden, and that was the reason of his muffled voice.
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Speaker 1: But it was not that which startled missus Hall. It
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Speaker 1: was the fact that all his forehead above his blue
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Speaker 1: glasses was covered by a white bandage, and that another
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Speaker 1: covered his ears, leaving not a scrap of his face exposed,
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Speaker 1: excepting only his pink peaked nose. It was bright, pink
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Speaker 1: and shiny, just as it had been at first. He
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Speaker 1: wore a dark brown velvet jacket with a high black
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Speaker 1: linen lined collar, turned up about his neck. The thick
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Speaker 1: black hair escaping as it could below and between the
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Speaker 1: cross bandages, projected in curious tails and horns, giving him
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Speaker 1: the strangest appearance conceivable. This muffled and bandaged head was
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Speaker 1: so unlike what she had anticipated, that for a moment
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Speaker 1: she was rigid. He did not remove the serviette, but
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Speaker 1: remained holding it, as she saw now, with a brown
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Speaker 1: gloved hand and regarding her with his inscrutable blue glasses.
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Speaker 1: Leave the hat, he said, speaking very distinctly through the
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Speaker 1: white cloth. Her nerves began to recover from the shock
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Speaker 1: that they had received. She placed the hat on the
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Speaker 1: chair again by the fire. I I didn't know, sir,
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Speaker 1: she began that, and she stopped, embarrassed. Thank you, he said, dryly,
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Speaker 1: glancing from her to the door, then at her again.
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Speaker 1: I'll have them nicely dried, so at once, she said,
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Speaker 1: and carried his clothes out of the room. She glanced
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Speaker 1: at his white swathed head and blue goggles again as
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Speaker 1: she was going out of the door, but his napkin
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Speaker 1: was still in front of his face. She shivered a
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Speaker 1: little as she closed the door behind her, and her
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Speaker 1: face was eloquent of her surprising perplexity. I never she whispered. There.
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Speaker 1: She went quite softly to the kitchen and was too
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Speaker 1: preoccupied to ask merely what she was messing about with now.
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Speaker 1: When she got there, the visitor sat and listened to
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Speaker 1: her retreating feet. He glanced inquiringly at the window before
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Speaker 1: he removed his serviette and was resumed his meal. He
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Speaker 1: took a mouthful, glanced suspiciously at the window, took another mouthful,
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Speaker 1: then rose, and, taking the serviette in his hand, walked
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Speaker 1: across the room and pulled the blind down to the
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Speaker 1: top of the white muslin that obscured the lower panes.
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Speaker 1: This left the room in a twilight. This done, he
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Speaker 1: returned with an easier air to the table than his meal.
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Speaker 1: The poor soles had an accident, or an operation or something,
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Speaker 1: said missus Hall. What a turn, then, bandages did give me?
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Speaker 1: To be sure, she put on some more coal, unfolded
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Speaker 1: the clothes horse, and extended the traveler's coat upon this,
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Speaker 1: and they goggles. Why he looked more like a diving
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Speaker 1: helmet than a human man. She hung his muffler on
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Speaker 1: a corner of the horse, and holding that handkerchief over
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Speaker 1: his mouth all the time talking through it. Perhaps his
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Speaker 1: mouth was hurt too. Maybe she turned round as one
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Speaker 1: who suddenly remembers. Bless my soul alive, she said, going
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Speaker 1: off at a tangent. Ain't you done them tat as yet?
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Speaker 1: Milly when missus Hall went to clear away the stranger's lunch,
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Speaker 1: her idea that his mouth must also have been cut
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Speaker 1: or disfigured in the accident she supposed him to have
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Speaker 1: suffered was confirmed, for he was smoking a pipe, and
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Speaker 1: all the time that she was in the room, he
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Speaker 1: never loosened the silk muffler he had wrapped around the
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Speaker 1: lower part of his face to put the mouthpiece to
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Speaker 1: his lips. Yet it was not forgetfulness, for she saw
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Speaker 1: he glanced at it as it smolded out. He sat
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Speaker 1: in the corner with his back to the window blind
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Speaker 1: and spoke, now, having eaten and drunk, and being comfortably
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Speaker 1: warmed through with less aggressive brevity than before. The reflection
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Speaker 1: of the fire lent a kind of red animation to
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Speaker 1: his big spectacles that they had lacked. Hitherto, I have
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Speaker 1: some luggage, she said at Bramblehurst's station, and he asked
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Speaker 1: her how he could have its sent. He bowed his
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Speaker 1: bandaged head quite politely in acknowledgment of her explanation to morrow.
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Speaker 1: He said, there is no speedier delivery, and seemed quite
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Speaker 1: disappointed when she answered no. Was she quite sure no
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Speaker 1: man with a trap could go over missus Hall nothing loth,
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Speaker 1: answered his questions and developed a conversation. It's a steep
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Speaker 1: road by the down, sir, she said, in answer to
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Speaker 1: the question about a trap, and then, snatching at an opening,
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Speaker 1: said it was there. A carriage was up settled a
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Speaker 1: year ago or more. A gentleman killed besides his coachman. Accidents, sir,
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Speaker 1: happen in a moment, don't they. But the visitor was
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Speaker 1: not to be drawn so easily they do, he said,
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Speaker 1: through his muffler, eyeing her quietly through his impenetrable glasses.
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Speaker 1: But they take long enough to get well, don't they.
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Speaker 1: There was my sister's son, Tom Jest cut his arm
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Speaker 1: with a scythe and tumbled on it in the ayfield,
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Speaker 1: and blessed me. He was three months tied up her.
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Speaker 1: You hardly believe it. It's regular given a dread of
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Speaker 1: a scythe sir, I can quite understand that, said the visitor.
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Speaker 1: He was afraid one time that he'd have to have
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Speaker 1: an operation. He was that, sir. The visitor laughed abruptly,
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Speaker 1: a bark of a laugh that he seemed to bite
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Speaker 1: and kill in his mouth. Was he? He said, he was, sir,
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Speaker 1: And no laughing matter to them, as had for doing
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Speaker 1: for him, as I had my sister being took up
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Speaker 1: with her little one so much. There was bandages to do, sir,
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Speaker 1: and bandages to undo. So that if I might be
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Speaker 1: so bold as to say, sir, will you get me
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Speaker 1: some matches? Said the visitor quite abruptly. My pipe is out,
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Speaker 1: missus Hall was pulled up suddenly. It was certainly rude
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Speaker 1: of him. After telling him all she had done, she
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Speaker 1: gasped at him for a moment, and then remembered the
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Speaker 1: two sovereigns, and she went for the matches. Thanks, he
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Speaker 1: said concisely as she put them down, and turned his
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Speaker 1: shoulder upon her and stared out of the window again.
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Speaker 1: It was altogether too discouraging. Evidently he was sensitive on
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Speaker 1: the topic of operations and bandages. She did not make
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Speaker 1: so bold as to say, however, after all, but his
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Speaker 1: snubbing way had irritated her, and Milly had a hot
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Speaker 1: time of it that afternoon. The visitor remained in the
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Speaker 1: parlor until four o'clock, without giving the ghost of an
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Speaker 1: excuse for an intrusion. For the most part, he was
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Speaker 1: quite still during that time, As it would seem he
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Speaker 1: sat in the growing darkness, smoking in the firelight, perhaps dozing.
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Speaker 1: Once or twice. A curious listener might have heard him
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Speaker 1: at the coals, and for the space of five minutes
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Speaker 1: he was audible, pacing the room. He seemed to be
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Speaker 1: talking to himself. Then the arm chair creaked as he
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Speaker 1: sat down again. Chapter two, Mister Teddy Henfrey's first impressions.
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Speaker 1: At four o'clock, when it was fairly dark and Missus
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Speaker 1: Hall was screwing up her courage to go in and
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Speaker 1: ask her visitor if he would take some tea, Teddy Henfrey,
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Speaker 1: the clock dropper, came into the bar. My sakes, Missus
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Speaker 1: Hall said he but this is terrible weather for thin boots.
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Speaker 1: The snow outside was falling faster. Missus Hall agreed, and
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Speaker 1: then noticed he had his bag with him. Now you're here,
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Speaker 1: mister Teddy said she. I'd be glad if you'd give
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Speaker 1: the old clock in the par a bit of a
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Speaker 1: look tis going, and it strikes well and hearty. But
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Speaker 1: the hour hand won't do nothing but point at six
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Speaker 1: and leading the way, She went across to the parlor
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Speaker 1: door and rapped and entered her visitors. She saw as
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Speaker 1: she opened the door was seated in the arm chair
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Speaker 1: before the fire, dozing, it would seem, with his bandaged
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Speaker 1: head drooping on one side. The only light in the
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Speaker 1: room was the red glow from the fire, which lit
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Speaker 1: his eyes like adverse railway signals, but left his downcast
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Speaker 1: face in darkness, and the scanty vestiges of the day
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Speaker 1: that came in through the open door. Everything was ruddy,
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Speaker 1: shadowy and indistinct to her, though more so since she
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Speaker 1: had just been lighting the bar lamp and her eyes
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Speaker 1: were dazzled. But for a second it seemed to her
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Speaker 1: that the man she looked at had an enormous mouth
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Speaker 1: wide open, a vast and incredible mouth that swallowed the
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Speaker 1: whole of the lower portion of his face. It was
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Speaker 1: the sensation of a moment, the white bound head, the
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Speaker 1: monstrous goggle eyes, and this huge yawn below it. Then
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Speaker 1: he stirred, started up in his chair, put up his hand.
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Speaker 1: She opened the door wide so that the room was lighter,
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Speaker 1: and she saw him more clearly with the muffler held
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Speaker 1: up to his face, just as she had seen him
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Speaker 1: hold the serviette before the shadows, she fancied had tricked her.
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Speaker 1: Would you mind, sir, this manner coming to look at
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Speaker 1: the clock, sir, she said, recovering from the momentary shock.
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Speaker 1: Look at the clock, he said, staring round in a
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Speaker 1: drowsing manner and speaking over his head, and then getting
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Speaker 1: more fully awake. Certainly, Missus Hall went away to get
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Speaker 1: a lamp, and he rose and stretched himself. Then came
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Speaker 1: the light, and mister Teddy Henry entering was confronted by
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Speaker 1: this bandaged perse He was, he says, taken aback. Good afternoon,
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Speaker 1: said the stranger, regarding him as mister Henfrey says, with
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Speaker 1: a vivid sense of the dark spectacles like a lobster.
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Speaker 1: I hope, said mister Henfrey. That it's no intrusion. Uh, none, whatever,
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Speaker 1: said the stranger. Though I understand, he said, turning to
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Speaker 1: missus Hall, that this room is really to be mine
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Speaker 1: for my own private use. I thought so, said Missus Hall.
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Speaker 1: You'd prefer the clock, certainly, said the stranger. Certainly, but
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Speaker 1: as a rule I like to be alone and undisturbed.
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Speaker 1: But I'm really glad to have the clock, seemed to
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Speaker 1: he said, seeing a certain hesitation in mister Henfrey's manner,
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Speaker 1: very glad. Mister Henfrey had intended to apologize and withdraw,
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Speaker 1: but this anticipation reassured him. The stranger turned round with
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Speaker 1: his back to the fireplace and put his hands behind
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Speaker 1: his back, and presently he said, when the clock mending
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Speaker 1: is over, I think I should like to have some tea,
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Speaker 1: But not till the clock mending is over. Missus Hall
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Speaker 1: was about to leave the room. She made no conversational
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Speaker 1: advances this time, because she did not want to be
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Speaker 1: snubbed in front of mister Henry. When her visitor asked
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Speaker 1: her if she had made any arrangements about his boxes
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Speaker 1: at Bramblehurst, she told him she had mentioned the matter
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Speaker 1: to the postman and that the carrier could bring them
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Speaker 1: over on the morrow. You are certain that that is
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Speaker 1: the earliest, he said. She was certain, with a marked coldness.
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Speaker 1: I should explain, he added, what I was really too
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Speaker 1: cold and fatigued to do before that. I am an
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Speaker 1: experimental investigator, indeed, sir, said missus Hall. Much impressed. And
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Speaker 1: my baggage contains apparatus and appliances, very useful things. Indeed
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Speaker 1: they are, sir, said Missus Hall, and I am very
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Speaker 1: naturally anxious to get on with my inquiries. Of course, Sir,
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Speaker 1: my reason for coming to iping he proceeded with a
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Speaker 1: certain deliberation of manner was a desire for solitude. I
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Speaker 1: do not wish to be disturbed in my work. In
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Speaker 1: addition to my work, an accident, I thought as much,
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Speaker 1: said Missus Hall to herself. An accident necessitates a certain retirement.
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Speaker 1: My eyes are sometimes so weak and painful that I
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Speaker 1: have shut myself up in the dark for hours together.
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Speaker 1: Lock myself up sometimes now and then, not at present, certainly,
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Speaker 1: but at such times the slightest disturbance, the entry of
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Speaker 1: a stranger into the room, is a source of excruciating
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Speaker 1: annoyance to me. It is well these things should be understood, certainly, sir,
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Speaker 1: said Missus Hall. And if I might make so bold
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Speaker 1: as to ask that, I think is all, said the stranger,
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Speaker 1: with that quietly irresistible air of finality he could assume
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Speaker 1: at will. Missus Hall reserved her question and sympathy for
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Speaker 1: a better occasion. After Missus Hall had left the room,
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Speaker 1: he remained standing in front of the fire glaring. So
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Speaker 1: mister Henry puts it at the clock mending. Mister Henry
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Speaker 1: not only took off the hands of the clock and
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Speaker 1: the face, but extracted the works, and he tried to
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Speaker 1: work in a slow and quiet and unassuming manner as possible.
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Speaker 1: He worked with the lamp close to him, and the
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Speaker 1: green shade threw a brilliant light upon his hands and
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Speaker 1: upon the frame and wheels, and left the rest of
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Speaker 1: the room shadowy. When he looked up, colored patches swam
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Speaker 1: in his eyes. Being constitutionally of a curious nature, he
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Speaker 1: had removed the works a quite unnecessary proceeding, with the
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Speaker 1: idea of delaying his departure and perhaps falling into conversation
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Speaker 1: with the stranger. But the stranger stood there, perfectly, silent
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Speaker 1: and still, so still it got on Henfrey's nerves. He
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Speaker 1: felt alone in the room and looked up, and there,
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Speaker 1: gray and dim was the bandaged head and huge blue lenses,
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Speaker 1: staring fixedly, with a mist of green spots drifting in
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Speaker 1: front of them. It was so uncanny to Henfrey that
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Speaker 1: for a minute they remained staring blankly at one another.
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Speaker 1: Then Henry looked down again, very uncomfortable position. One would
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Speaker 1: like to say something, should he remark that the weather
18:19
Speaker 1: was very cold for the time of the year. He
18:22
Speaker 1: looked up, as if to take aim with that introductory
18:25
Speaker 1: shot the weather. He began, why don't you finish and go?
18:30
Speaker 1: Said the rigid figure, evidently in a state of painfully
18:33
Speaker 1: suppressed rage. All you've got to do is fix the
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Speaker 1: hour hand on its axle. You're simply humbugging, certainly, sir.
18:42
Speaker 1: One minute more I overlooked, and mister Henry finished and went.
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Speaker 1: But he was feeling excessively annoyed. Damn it, said mister
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Speaker 1: Henfrey to himself, trudging down the village through the thawing snow.
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Speaker 1: A man must do o'clock at times? Surely? And again
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Speaker 1: can't a man look at you? Ugly? And yet again
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Speaker 1: seemingly not? If the police was wanting you, you wouldn't
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Speaker 1: be more wrapped and bandaged. At Gleaston's corner he saw Hall,
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Speaker 1: who had recently married the stranger's hostess at the Coach
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Speaker 1: and Horses, and who now drove the iping conveyance when
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Speaker 1: occasional people required it to cid abridge junction, coming towards him.
19:22
Speaker 1: On his return from that place, Hall had evidently been
19:26
Speaker 1: a stopping a bit at Ciderbridge, to judge by his driving,
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Speaker 1: How do Teddy, he said, passing You've got a rumman
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Speaker 1: up at home, said Teddy Hall, very socially pulled up?
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Speaker 1: Was that? He said? Rum looking customer stopping at the
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Speaker 1: coach and horses, said Teddy, my sakes, and he proceeded
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Speaker 1: to give Hall a vivid description of his grotesque guest.
19:49
Speaker 1: Looks a bit like a disguise, don't it. I'd like
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Speaker 1: to see a man's face if I had him stopping
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Speaker 1: in my place, said Henry. But women are that trustful
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Speaker 1: when strangers are concerned. He's took your rooms and he
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Speaker 1: ain't even given a name. Hall, You don't say so,
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Speaker 1: said Hall, who was a man of sluggish apprehension. Yes,
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Speaker 1: said Teddy. By the week. Wherever he is, you can't
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Speaker 1: get rid of him under the week. And he's got
20:12
Speaker 1: a lot of luggage coming tomorrow, so he says, let's
20:15
Speaker 1: hope it won't be stones in boxes. Howl. He told
20:20
Speaker 1: Hall how his aunt at Hastings had been swindled by
20:22
Speaker 1: a stranger with empty portmanteau. Altogether, he left Hall vaguely suspicious.
20:28
Speaker 1: Get up, old girl, said Hall. I suppose I must
20:30
Speaker 1: see about this. Teddy trudged on his way with his
20:33
Speaker 1: mind considerably relieved, instead of seeing about it. However, Hall,
20:40
Speaker 1: on his return was severely rated by his wife on
20:42
Speaker 1: the length of time he had spent in Citterbridge, and
20:45
Speaker 1: his mild inquiries were answered snappishly and in a manner
20:48
Speaker 1: not to the point, but the seed of suspicion Teddy
20:51
Speaker 1: had sown germinated in the mind of mister Hall. In
20:54
Speaker 1: spite of these discouragements, You wim don't know anything, said
20:58
Speaker 1: mister Hall. Resolved to ascertain more about the personality of
21:01
Speaker 1: his guests at the earliest possible opportunity, and after the
21:05
Speaker 1: stranger had gone to bed, which he did about half
21:07
Speaker 1: past nine, mister Hall went very aggressively into the parlor
21:10
Speaker 1: and looked very hard at his wife's furniture, just to
21:13
Speaker 1: show that the stranger wasn't master there, and scrutinized closely
21:17
Speaker 1: and a little contentiously a sheet of mathematical computations the
21:21
Speaker 1: stranger had left. When retiring for the night, he instructed
21:26
Speaker 1: Missus Hall to look very closely at the stranger's luggage
21:28
Speaker 1: when it came the next day. You mind your own business, Hall,
21:32
Speaker 1: said Missus Hall, and I'll mind mine. She was all
21:37
Speaker 1: the more inclined to snap it Hall, because the stranger
21:40
Speaker 1: was undoubtedly an unusually strange sort of stranger, and she
21:44
Speaker 1: was by no means assured about him in her own mind.
21:48
Speaker 1: In the middle of the night, she woke up dreaming
21:50
Speaker 1: of huge white heads like turnips that came trailing after
21:53
Speaker 1: it at the end of interminable necks, and with vast
21:56
Speaker 1: black eyes. But being a sensible woman, she subdued her
22:01
Speaker 1: terrors and turned over and went to sleep again. End
22:07
Speaker 1: of chapter two.