Тінь над Іннсмутом
Chapter 1
Thepatternsallhintedofremotesecretsandunimaginableabyssesintimeandspace,andthemonotonouslyaquaticnatureofthereliefsbecamealmostsinister.Amongthesereliefswerefabulousmonstersofabhorrentgrotesquenessandmalignity—halfichthyicandhalfbatrachianinsuggestion—whichonecouldnotdissociatefromacertainhauntinganduncomfortablesenseofpseudomemory,asiftheycalledupsomeimagefromdeepcellsandtissueswhoseretentivefunctionsarewhollyprimalandawesomelyancestral.AttimesIfanciedthateverycontouroftheseblasphemousfish-frogswasover-flowingwiththeultimatequintessenceofunknownandinhumanevil.
Inoddcontrasttothetiara’saspectwasitsbriefandprosyhistoryasrelatedbyMissTilton.IthadbeenpawnedforaridiculoussumatashopinStateStreetin1873,byadrunkenInnsmouthmanshortlyafterwardkilledinabrawl.TheSocietyhadacquireditdirectlyfromthepawnbroker,atoncegivingitadisplayworthyofitsquality.ItwaslabeledasofprobableEast–IndianorIndochineseprovenance,thoughtheattributionwasfranklytentative.
MissTilton,comparingallpossiblehypothesesregardingitsoriginanditspresenceinNewEngland,wasinclinedtobelievethatitformedpartofsomeexoticpiratehoarddiscoveredbyoldCaptainObedMarsh.ThisviewwassurelynotweakenedbytheinsistentoffersofpurchaseatahighpricewhichtheMarshesbegantomakeassoonastheyknewofitspresence,andwhichtheyrepeatedtothisdaydespitetheSociety’sunvaryingdeterminationnottosell.
