Випадок Чарльза Декстера Варда

           Onthewhole,littlecouldbelearnedfromthescientificensemble,whichincludedagruesome-lookingdissecting-table;sothattheroomwasreallyratheradisappointment.AmongthebookswasatatteredoldcopyofBorellusinblack-letter,anditwasweirdlyinterestingtonotethatWardhadunderlinedthesamepassagewhosemarkinghadsoperturbedgoodMr.MerrittinCurwen’sfarmhousemorethanacenturyandhalfbefore.Thatoldcopy,ofcourse,musthaveperishedalongwiththerestofCurwen’soccultlibraryinthefinalraid.Threearchwaysopenedoffthelaboratory,andthesethedoctorproceededtosampleinturn.Fromhiscursorysurveyhesawthattwoledmerelytosmallstorerooms;butthesehecanvassedwithcare,remarkingthepilesofcoffinsinvariousstagesofdamageandshudderingviolentlyattwoorthreeofthefewcoffin-plateshecoulddecipher.Therewasmuchclothingalsostoredintheserooms,andseveralnewandtightlynailedboxeswhichhedidnotstoptoinvestigate.Mostinterestingofall,perhaps,weresomeoddbitswhichhejudgedtobefragmentsofoldJosephCurwen’slaboratoryappliances.Thesehadsuffereddamageatthehandsoftheraiders,butwerestillpartlyrecognizableasthechemicalparaphernaliaoftheGeorgianperiod.

           Thethirdarchwayledtoaverysizeablechamberentirelylinedwithshelvesandhavinginthecenteratablebearingtwolamps.TheselampsWillettlighted,andintheirbrilliantglowstudiedtheendlessshelvingwhichsurroundedhim.