England -- Fiction; Magic -- Fiction; South Africa -- Fiction
But if the head had a fascination for Jeremy, it had a still greater
charm for his grandfather. The old man would continually slip out of
the office and cross the yard to the little room where Jeremy worked,
in order to stare at this wonderful relic. One night, indeed, when the
case was nearly finished, Jeremy remembered that he had not locked the
door of his workshop. He was already half undressed, but slipping on
his coat again, he went out by the back door and crossed the yard,
carrying the key with him. It was bright moonlight, and Jeremy, having
slippers on, walked without noise. When he reached the workshop, and
was about to lock the door, he thought he heard a sound in the room.
This startled him, and for a moment he meditated retreat, leaving the
head to look after itself. Those eyes were interesting in the daytime,
but he scarcely cared to face them alone at night. It was foolish, but
they did look so very much alive! After a moment’s hesitation, during
which the sound, whatever it was, again made itself audible, he
determined to compromise matters by going round to the other side of
the room and looking in at the little window. With a beating heart he
stole round, and quietly peeped in. The moonlight was shining bright
into the room, and struck full upon the long case he had manufactured.
He had left it _shut_, and the head inside it. Now it was open; he
could clearly see the white outlines of the trembling eyes. The sound,
too—a muttering sound—was still going on. Jeremy drew back, and wiped
the perspiration from his forehead, and for the second time thought of
flight. But his curiosity overcame him, and he looked again. This time
he discovered the cause of the muttering. Seated upon his
carpentering-bench was his grandfather, old Atterleigh, who appeared to
be staring with all his might at the head, and talking incoherently to
himself. This was the noise he had heard through the door. It was an
uncanny sight, and made Jeremy feel cold down the back. While he was
still contemplating it, and wondering what to do, old Atterleigh rose,
closed the case, and left the room. Jeremy slipped round, locked up the
door, and made his way back to bed much astonished. He did not,
however, say anything of what he had seen, only in future he was
careful never to leave the door of his workshop open.
At last the case was finished, and, for an amateur, a very good job he
made of it. When it was done he placed it, as already narrated, back on
the bracket, and showed it to Mr. de Talor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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