maddening He had no lights If he opened the door room the thing would get away darkness Pawkins quite distinctly laughing at him Pawkins had ever an oily laugh He swore furiously and stamped his foot floor

timid rapping door

Then it opened, perhaps foot, and very slowly The alarmed face landlady appeared behind pink candle flame; she wore night-cap over her grey hair and had some purple garment over her shoulders "What _was that fearful smash ? " she said "Has anything----" The strange moth appeared fluttering chink door "Shut that door ! " said Hapley, and suddenly rushed at her

The door slammed hastily Hapley was left alone dark Then pause he heard his landlady scuttle upstairs, lock her door, and drag something heavy across the room and put against it

It became evident to Hapley that his conduct and appearance strange and alarming Confound the moth ! and Pawkins ! However, pity to lose the moth now his way hall and found the matches, after sending his hat down floor with noise like drum lighted candle he returned sitting-room No moth was seen Yet once for moment it seemed thing was fluttering round his head Hapley very suddenly decided up the moth and go to bed But excited All night long his sleep was broken by dreams moth, Pawkins, landlady Twice night he turned out and soused his head in cold water

was very clear to him His landlady possibly understand strange moth, especially as he had failed to catch it No one but an entomologist would understand quite how She was probably frightened at his behaviour, and yet he failed how explain it He decided nothing further events of last night After breakfast her in her garden, and decided out and talk to reassure her He talked to her about beans and potatoes, bees, caterpillars, price of fruit She replied in her usual manner, but she looked at him little suspiciously, and kept walking as he walked, always bed of flowers, or row of beans, or something sort, After while he began singularly irritated , and to conceal his vexation went indoors and presently went out for walk

The moth, or butterfly, trailing an odd flavour of Pawkins with it, kept coming into that walk, though his best his mind off it Once it quite distinctly, with its wings flattened out, old stone wall that runs along the west edge park, but going up only two lumps of grey and yellow lichen "This," said Hapley, " reverse of mimicry Instead of butterfly looking like stone, stone looking like butterfly ! " Once something hovered and fluttered round his head, but by an effort of will he drove that impression out mind again

afternoon Hapley called Vicar, and argued upon theological questions They sat little arbour covered with briar, and smoked wrangled "Look moth ! " said Hapley, suddenly, pointing edge wooden table

"Where ? " said the Vicar

"You don't see moth edge table there ? " said Hapley

"Certainly not," said the Vicar

Hapley was thunderstruck He gasped The Vicar was staring at him Clearly the man saw nothing "The eye of faith is no better eye of science," said Hapley awkwardly

"I don't see your point," said the Vicar, thinking part argument

That night Hapley found the moth crawling over his counterpane He sat edge bed shirt sleeves and reasoned with himself pure hallucination ? slipping, and he battled sanity same silent energy he had formerly displayed against Pawkins So persistent is mental habit, that it were still struggle with Pawkins well versed in psychology that such visual illusions do come of mental strain But the point was, only see the moth, he had heard it when it touched the edge lampshade, and afterwards when it hit against the wall, and he had felt it strike his face dark

He looked at it not at all dreamlike, but perfectly clear and solid-looking candle-light the hairy body, short feathery antennae, the jointed legs, even place where the down was rubbed wing He suddenly felt angry with himself for being afraid of little insect

His landlady had got the servant to sleep with her that night, because she was afraid alone she had locked the door, and put the chest of drawers against it They listened and talked in whispers after they had gone to bed, but nothing occurred to alarm them About eleven they had ventured the candle out, and had both dozed off to sleep They woke up with start, and sat up in bed, listening darkness

Then they heard slippered feet going to and fro in Hapley's room chair was overturned, and violent dab wall Then china mantel ornament smashed fender Suddenly the door room opened, heard him landing They clung to one another, listening dancing staircase Now go down three or four steps quickly, then up again, then hurry down hall They heard the umbrella stand go over, fanlight break Then the bolt shot chain rattled opening the door

They hurried window dim grey night; an almost unbroken sheet of watery cloud was sweeping across the moon, hedge and trees in front house were black against the pale roadway They saw Hapley, looking like ghost shirt and white trousers, running to and fro road, and beating the air Now stop, now dart very rapidly at something invisible, now move upon it with stealthy strides At last he went out of sight up the road towards the down Then, while they argued go down and lock the door, he returned walking very fast, and straight house, closed the door carefully, and went quietly up bedroom Then everything was silent

" Mrs Colville," said Hapley, calling down the staircase next morning, " alarm you last night "

" well ask that ! " said Mrs Colville

"The fact is, sleep-walker, last two nights without my sleeping mixture nothing alarmed about, really sorry such an ass of myself go over the down to Shoreham, and get some stuff me sleep soundly I done that yesterday "

But half-way over the down, chalk pits, the moth came upon Hapley again He went on, trying his mind upon chess problems, but no good The thing fluttered into his face, and he struck at it hat in self-defence Then rage, the old rage--the rage he had so often felt against Pawkins--came upon him again He went on, leaping and striking eddying insect Suddenly he trod on nothing, and fell headlong

gap sensations, and Hapley found himself sitting heap of flints in front opening chalk-pits, with leg twisted back under him The strange moth was still fluttering round his head He struck at it hand, and turning his head saw two men approaching him One village doctor It occurred to Hapley was lucky Then it came into his mind with extraordinary vividness, that no one would ever the strange moth except himself, it behoved him silent

Late that night, however, after his broken leg was set, feverish and forgot his self-restraint lying flat bed, and he began to run his eyes round the room moth was still about He tried not to , but no good He soon caught sight thing resting close hand, night-light, green table-cloth The wings quivered With sudden wave of anger he smote at it fist, nurse woke up with shriek He had missed it

"That moth ! " ; and then, " fancy Nothing ! "

All the time he quite clearly the insect going round the cornice and darting across the room, and also see nurse saw nothing of it and looked at him strangely keep himself in hand lost man if keep himself in hand But night waned the fever grew upon him, very dread he had of seeing the moth made him see it About five, just dawn was grey, he tried out of bed and catch it, though his leg was afire with pain The nurse had to struggle

On account , they tied him down bed the moth grew bolder, and once it settle hair Then, because he struck out violently arms, they tied these also the moth came and crawled over his face, and Hapley wept, swore, screamed, prayed it off him, unavailingly

The doctor was blockhead, just-qualified general practitioner, and quite ignorant of mental science He simply said no moth Had he possessed the wit, he might still, perhaps, have saved Hapley fate by entering into his delusion, and covering his face with gauze, as he prayed done But, as , the doctor was blockhead, and until the leg was healed Hapley was kept tied bed, and imaginary moth crawling over him It never left him while awake and it grew to monster dreams While awake he longed for sleep, and from sleep he awoke screaming

So now Hapley is spending the remainder days in padded room, worried by moth that no one else The asylum doctor calls it hallucination; but Hapley, when easier mood, and can talk, says ghost of Pawkins, and consequently unique specimen and well worth the trouble of catching