"Victor Roman - Four wooden Stakes" - читать интересную книгу автора (Roman Victor)

he) rushed forward and throwing his arms around me thanked me again and again for heeding his plea, till
I thought he would go into hysterics.

I begged him to brace up, and the sound of my voice seemed to help him, for he apologized rather
shamefacedly for his discourtesy and led the way along the wide hall. There was a fire blazing merrily
away in the sitting room, and after partaking generously of a repast, for I was famished after my long
walk, I was seated in front of it, facing Remson and waiting to hear his story.
"Jack," he began, "I'll start at the beginning and try and give you the facts in their proper sequence. Five
years ago my family circle consisted of five persons; my grandfather, my father, two brothers and myself,
the baby of the family. My mother died, you know when I was a few weeks old. Now..."

His voice broke and for a moment he was unable to continue.

"There's only myself left," he went on, "and so help me God, I'm going too, unless you can solve this
damnable mystery that hovers over this house, and put an end to that something which took my kin and is
gradually taking me.

"Grandad was the first to go. He spent the last few years of his life in South America. Just before leaving
there he was attacked while asleep by one of those huge bats. Next morning he was so weak that he
couldn't walk. That awful thing had sucked his life blood away. He arrived here, but was sickly until his
death a few weeks later. The doctors couldn't agree as to the cause of death, so they laid it to old age
and let it go at that. But I knew better. It was his experience in the south that had done for him. In his will
he asked that a crypt be built immediately and his body interred therein. His wish was carried out, and his
remains lie in that little grey vault that you may have noticed if you cut around behind the house. Then my
dad began failing and just pined away until he died. What puzzled the doctors was the fact that right up
until the end he consumed enough food to sustain three men, yet he was so weak he lacked the strength
to drag his legs over the floor. He was buried, or rather interred, with grandad. The same symptoms
were in evidence in the cases of George and Fred. They are both lying in the vault. And now, Jack, I'm
going, too, for of late my appetite has increased to alarming proportions, yet I am as weak as a kitten."

"Nonsense!" I chided. "We'll just leave this place for a while and take a trip somewhere, and when you
return you'll laugh at your fears. It's all a case of overwrought nerves, and there is certainly nothing
strange about the deaths you speak of. Probably due to some hereditary disease. More than one family
has passed out in a hurry just on that account."

"Jack, I only wish I could think so, but somehow I know better. And as for leaving here, I just can't.
Understand, I hate the place; I loathe it, but I can't get away. There is a morbid fascination about the
place which holds me. If you want to be a real friend, just stay with me for a couple of days and if you
don't find anything, I'm sure the sight of you and the sound of your voice will do wonders for me."

I agreed to do my best, although I was hard put to it to keep from smiling at his fears, so apparently
groundless were they. We talked on other subjects for several hours, then I proposed bed, saying that I
was very tired after my journey and subsequent walk. Remson showed me to my room, and after seeing
that everything was as comfortable as possible, he bade me goodnight.

As he turned to leave the room the flickering light from the lamp fell on his neck and I noticed two small
punctures in the skin. I questioned him regarding them, but he replied that he must have beheaded a
pimple and that he hadn't noticed them before. He again said good night and left the room.

I undressed and tumbled into bed. During the night I was conscious of an overpowering feeling of