After it was all over, and he had bowed himself out into the wings,
Hamar led him aside.
"Don't look so damned pleased with yourself," he said, "I don't half
like the look of things. This is the third time the Unknown has tried
to trap us--the fourth time it may be successful! Take care!"
CHAPTER XX
THE STAGE OF HAUNTINGS
Much to the relief of the trio, the end of stage three was at length
reached--and, thanks to Hamar, reached without further mishap. To keep
Curtis and Kelson up to the mark, Hamar had worked indefatigably. He
had never relaxed his efforts in the strict watch he kept over them,
and he had unceasingly impressed upon them, the vital importance of
obeying, to the very letter, the instructions they had received from
the Unknown.
The part he had thus taken upon himself, the difficulties he had to
encounter in this unceasing vigilance, had produced a new Hamar--a
Hamar that was a personality; a personality so utterly unlike the
old Hamar--the meek and servile clerk--as to make one wonder if
there could possibly be two Hamars--outwardly and physically the
same--inwardly and psychologically diametrically opposed. A year ago,
Curtis and Kelson would have ridiculed the idea of being afraid of
Hamar--such an idea would have struck them as simply absurd; but they
were afraid of him now, they dreaded his anger more than anything,
more even than the prospect of infringing their compact with the
Unknown.
Pages:
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258