Випадок Чарльза Декстера Варда

           Toalltheseenquiriestheyouthwaspolitelynon-committal,merelybarkinginhishoarsewhisperthathehadfoundDr.Allentohavearemarkablespiritualrapportwithcertainsoulsfromthepast,andthatanycorrespondentthebeardedmanmighthaveinPraguewouldprobablybesimilarlygifted.Whentheyleft,Mr.WardandDr.Willettrealizedtotheirchagrinthattheyhadreallybeentheonesundercatechism;andthatwithoutimpartinganythingvitalhimself,theconfinedyouthhadadroitlypumpedthemofeverythingthePragueletterhadcontained.

           Drs.Peck,Waite,andLymanwerenotinclinedtoattachmuchimportancetothestrangecorrespondenceofyoungWard’scompanion;fortheyknewthetendencyofkindredeccentricsandmonomaniacstobandtogether,andbelievedthatCharlesorAllenhadmerelyunearthedanexpatriatedcounterpart—perhapsonewhohadseenOrne’shandwritingandcopieditinanattempttoposeasthebygonecharacter’sreincarnation.Allenhimselfwasperhapsasimilarcase,andmayhavepersuadedtheyouthintoacceptinghimasanavatarofthelong-deadCurwen.Suchthingshadbeenknownbefore,andonthesamebasisthehard-headeddoctorsdisposedofWillett’sgrowingdisquietaboutCharlesWard’spresenthandwriting,asstudiedfromunpremeditatedspecimensobtainedbyvariousruses.