Chapter 3

           WehavenowreachedthepointfromwhichthemoreacademicschoolofalienistsdateCharlesWard’smadness.Uponhisdiscoverytheyouthhadlookedimmediatelyatafewoftheinnerpagesofthebookandmanuscripts,andhadevidentlyseensomethingwhichimpressedhimtremendously.Indeed,inshowingthetitlestotheworkmen,heappearedtoguardthetextitselfwithpeculiarcare,andtolabourunderaperturbationforwhicheventheantiquarianandgenealogicalsignificanceofthefindcouldhardlyaccount.Uponreturninghomehebrokethenewswithanalmostembarrassedair,asifhewishedtoconveyanideaofitssupremeimportancewithouthavingtoexhibittheevidenceitself.Hedidnotevenshowthetitlestohisparents,butsimplytoldthemthathehadfoundsomedocumentsinJosephCurwen’shandwriting,’mostlyincipher’,whichwouldhavetobestudiedverycarefullybeforeyieldinguptheirtruemeaning.Itisunlikelythathewouldhaveshownwhathedidtotheworkmen,haditnotbeenfortheirunconcealedcuriosity.Asitwashedoubtlesswishedtoavoidanydisplayofpeculiarreticencewhichwouldincreasetheirdiscussionofthematter.

           ThatnightCharlesWardsatupinhisroomreadingthenew-foundbookandpapers,andwhendaycamehedidnotdesist.Hismeals,onhisurgentrequestwhenhismothercalledtoseewhatwasamiss,weresentuptohim;andintheafternoonheappearedonlybrieflywhenthemencametoinstalltheCurwenpictureandmantelpieceinhisstudy.