Tales of Terror and Mystery
The Horror of the Heights
Thereare,itmaybeadded,severalstains,bothonthelastpageandontheoutsidecoverwhichhavebeenpronouncedbytheHomeOfficeexpertstobeblood—probablyhumanandcertainlymammalian.Thefactthatsomethingcloselyresemblingtheorganismofmalariawasdiscoveredinthisblood,andthatJoyce-Armstrongisknowntohavesufferedfromintermittentfever,isaremarkableexampleofthenewweaponswhichmodernsciencehasplacedinthehandsofourdetectives.
Andnowawordastothepersonalityoftheauthorofthisepoch-makingstatement.Joyce-Armstrong,accordingtothefewfriendswhoreallyknewsomethingoftheman,wasapoetandadreamer,aswellasamechanicandaninventor.Hewasamanofconsiderablewealth,muchofwhichhehadspentinthepursuitofhisaeronauticalhobby.HehadfourprivateaeroplanesinhishangarsnearDevizes,andissaidtohavemadenofewerthanonehundredandseventyascentsinthecourseoflastyear.Hewasaretiringmanwithdarkmoods,inwhichhewouldavoidthesocietyofhisfellows.CaptainDangerfield,whoknewhimbetterthananyone,saysthatthereweretimeswhenhiseccentricitythreatenedtodevelopintosomethingmoreserious.Hishabitofcarryingashot-gunwithhiminhisaeroplanewasonemanifestationofit.
AnotherwasthemorbideffectwhichthefallofLieutenantMyrtlehaduponhismind.Myrtle,whowasattemptingtheheightrecord,fellfromanaltitudeofsomethingoverthirtythousandfeet.Horribletonarrate,hisheadwasentirelyobliterated,thoughhisbodyandlimbspreservedtheirconfiguration.
