Випадок Чарльза Декстера Варда

           Theyouth’slibrarywasplainlyandrigidlyclassified,sothatonemighttellataglancethebooksoratleastthekindofbookswhichhadbeenwithdrawn.OnthisoccasionMr.Wardwasastonishedtofindthatnothingoftheoccultortheantiquarian,beyondwhathadbeenpreviouslyremoved,wasmissing.Thesenewwithdrawalswereallmodernitems;histories,scientifictreatises,geographies,manualsofliterature,philosophicworks,andcertaincontemporarynewspapersandmagazines.ItwasaverycuriousshiftfromCharlesWard’srecentrunofreading,andthefatherpausedinagrowingvortexofperplexityandanengulfingsenseofstrangeness.Thestrangenesswasaverypoignantsensation,andalmostclawedathischestashestrovetoseejustwhatwaswrongaroundhim.Somethingwasindeedwrong,andtangiblyaswellasspirituallyso.Eversincehehadbeeninthisroomhehadknownthatsomethingwasamiss,andatlastitdawneduponhimwhatitwas.

           OnthenorthwallrosestilltheancientcarvedovermantelfromthehouseinOlneyCourt,buttothecrackedandprecariouslyrestoredoilsofthelargeCurwenportraitdisasterhadcome.Timeandunequalheatinghaddonetheirworkatlast,andatsometimesincetheroom’slastcleaningtheworsthadhappened