Человек-невидимка
The Plan That Failed
"Nothing,"saidKemp,andsuddenlybegantospeakloudandfast."Idon'tagreetothis,Griffin,"hesaid."Understandme,Idon'tagreetothis.Whydreamofplayingagameagainsttherace? Howcanyouhopetogainhappiness? Don'tbealonewolf. Publishyourresults;taketheworld—takethenationatleast—intoyourconfidence. Thinkwhatyoumightdowithamillionhelpers—"
TheInvisibleManinterrupted—armextended. "Therearefootstepscomingupstairs,"hesaidinalowvoice.
"Nonsense,"saidKemp.
"Letmesee,"saidtheInvisibleMan, andadvanced,armextended,tothedoor.
Andthenthingshappenedveryswiftly.Kemphesitatedforasecondandthenmovedtointercepthim. TheInvisibleManstartedandstoodstill. "Traitor!"criedtheVoice,andsuddenlythedressing-gownopened,andsittingdowntheUnseenbegantodisrobe. Kempmadethreeswiftstepstothedoor,andforthwiththeInvisibleMan—hislegshadvanished—sprangtohisfeetwithashout. Kempflungthedooropen.
Asitopened,therecameasoundofhurryingfeetdownstairsandvoices.
WithaquickmovementKempthrusttheInvisibleManback,sprangaside,andslammedthedoor. Thekeywasoutsideandready. InanothermomentGriffinwouldhavebeenaloneinthebelvederestudy,aprisoner. Saveforonelittlething. Thekeyhadbeenslippedinhastilythatmorning.AsKempslammedthedooritfellnoisilyuponthecarpet.
