Випадок Чарльза Декстера Варда

           Somethingwaswrong;fordespitetheapparentcoherenceandrationalityofhisspeech,therecouldbenonormalreasonforthisill-concealedblanknessonvitalpoints.Moreover,althoughnoneofthesemenknewWardwell,theycouldnothelpobservingthechangeinhislanguageandmanner.Theyhadheardhewasanantiquarian,buteventhemosthopelessantiquariansdonotmakedailyuseofobsoletephraseologyandgestures.Altogether,thiscombinationofhoarseness,palsiedhands,badmemory,andalteredspeechandbearingmustrepresentsomedisturbanceormaladyofgenuinegravity,whichnodoubtformedthebasisoftheprevailingoddrumors;andaftertheirdeparturethepartyofofficialsdecidedthatatalkwiththeseniorWardwasimperative.

           SoonthesixthofMarch,1928,therewasalongandseriousconferenceinMr.Ward’soffice,afterwhichtheutterlybewilderedfathersummonedDr.Willettinakindofhelplessresignation.Willettlookedoverthestrainedandawkwardsignaturesofthecheque,andcomparedtheminhismindwiththepenmanshipofthatlastfranticnote.Certainly,thechangewasradicalandprofound,andyettherewassomethingdamnablyfamiliaraboutthenewwriting.Ithadcrabbedandarchaictendenciesofaverycurioussort,andseemedtoresultfromatypeofstrokeutterlydifferentfromthatwhichtheyouthhadalwaysused.Itwasstrange—butwherehadheseenitbefore?Onthewhole,itwasobviousthatCharleswasinsane.Ofthattherecouldbenodoubt.