Produced by David Clarke, Sankar Viswanathan, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net BROOD OF THE WITCH-QUEEN BY SAX ROHMER LONDON C. ARTHUR PEARSON, LIMITED HENRIETTA STREET, W.C. 1918 * * * * * CONTENTS CHAPTER I. ANTONY FERRARA II. THE PHANTOM HANDS III. THE RING OF THOTH IV. AT FERRARA'S CHAMBERS V. THE RUSTLING SHADOWS VI. THE BEETLES VII. SIR ELWIN GROVES' PATIENT VIII. THE SECRET OF DHOON IX. THE POLISH JEWESS X. THE LAUGHTER XI. CAIRO XII. THE MASK OF SET XIII. THE SCORPION WIND XIV. DR. CAIRN ARRIVES XV. THE WITCH-QUEEN XVI. LAIR OF THE SPIDERS XVII. THE STORY OF ALI MOHAMMED XVIII. THE BATS XIX. ANTHROPOMANCY XX. THE INCENSE XXI. THE MAGICIAN XXII. MYRA XXIII. THE FACE IN THE ORCHID-HOUSE XXIV. FLOWERING OF THE LOTUS XXV. CAIRN MEETS FERRARA XXVI. THE IVORY HAND XXVII. THE THUG'S CORD XXVIII. THE HIGH PRIEST HORTOTEF XXIX. THE WIZARD'S DEN XXX. THE ELEMENTAL XXXI. THE BOOK OF THOTH * * * * * PREFATORY NOTICE The strange deeds of Antony Ferrara, as herein related, are intended to illustrate certain phases of Sorcery as it was formerly practised (according to numerous records) not only in Ancient Egypt but also in Europe, during the Middle Ages. In no case do the powers attributed to him exceed those which are claimed for a fully equipped Adept. S. R. * * * * * BROOD OF THE WITCH-QUEEN CHAPTER I ANTONY FERRARA Robert Cairn looked out across the quadrangle. The moon had just arisen, and it softened the beauty of the old college buildings, mellowed the harshness of time, casting shadow pools beneath the cloisteresque arches to the west and setting out the ivy in stronger relief upon the ancient walls. The barred shadow on the lichened stones beyond the elm was cast by the hidden gate; and straight ahead, where, between a quaint chimney-stack and a bartizan, a triangular patch of blue showed like spangled velvet, lay the Thames. It was from there the cooling breeze came. But Cairn's gaze was set upon a window almost directly ahead, and west below the chimneys. Within the room to which it belonged a lambent light played. Cairn turned to his companion, a ruddy and athletic looking man, somewhat bovine in type, who at the moment was busily tracing out sections on a human skull and checking his calculations from Ross's _Diseases of the Nervous System_. "Sime," he said, "what does Ferrara always have a fire in his rooms for at this time of the year?"