Випадок Чарльза Декстера Варда

           Wardcouldnotbanishitfromhismind.

           Nowdefinitelyleaguedtogethertodoalltheycouldtowardtheyouth’smentalsalvation,Mr.WardandDr.Willettsetaboutcollectingeveryscrapofdatawhichthecasemightafford.Pawtuxetgossipwasthefirstitemtheystudied,andthiswasrelativelyeasytogleansincebothhadfriendsinthatregion.Dr.Willettobtainedthemostrumorsbecausepeopletalkedmorefranklytohimthantoaparentofthecentralfigure,andfromallheheardhecouldtellthatyoungWard’slifehadbecomeindeedastrangeone.Commontongueswouldnotdissociatehishouseholdfromthevampirismoftheprevioussummer,whilethenocturnalcomingsandgoingsofthemotortrucksprovidedtheirshareofdarkspeculations.Localtradesmenspokeofthequeernessoftheordersbroughtthembytheevil-lookingmulatto,andinparticularoftheinordinateamountsofmeanandfreshbloodsecuredfromthetwobutchershopsintheimmediateneighborhood.Forahouseholdofonlythree,thesequantitieswerequiteabsurd.

           Thentherewasthematterofthesoundsbeneaththeearth.Reportsofthesethingswerehardertopointdown,butallthevaguehintstalliedincertainbasicessentials.Noisesofaritualnaturepositivelyexisted,andattimeswhenthebungalowwasdark.Theymight,ofcourse,havecomefromtheknowncellar;butrumorinsistedthatthereweredeeperandmorespreadingcrypts