now the possibility of calling the outer world to his assistance was cut
off, but an intense anger took its place, and seizing the book he was
reading he hurled it at the rat. The blow was well aimed, but before the
missile could reach him the rat dropped off and struck the floor with a
soft thud. Malcolmson instantly rushed over towards him, but it darted
away and disappeared in the darkness of the shadows of the room.
Malcolmson felt that his work was over for the night, and determined
then and there to vary the monotony of the proceedings by a hunt for the
rat, and took off the green shade of the lamp so as to insure a wider
spreading light. As he did so the gloom of the upper part of the room
was relieved, and in the new flood of light, great by comparison with
the previous darkness, the pictures on the wall stood out boldly. From
where he stood, Malcolmson saw right opposite to him the third picture
on the wall from the right of the fireplace. He rubbed his eyes in
surprise, and then a great fear began to come upon him.

In the centre of the picture was a great irregular patch of brown
canvas, as fresh as when it was stretched on the frame. The background
was as before, with chair and chimney-corner and rope, but the figure of
the Judge had disappeared.

Malcolmson, almost in a chill of horror, turned slowly round, and then
he began to shake and tremble like a man in a palsy. His strength seemed
to have left him, and he was incapable of action or movement, hardly
even of thought. He could only see and hear.

There, on the great high-backed carved oak chair sat the Judge in his
robes of scarlet and ermine, with his baleful eyes glaring vindictively,
and a smile of triumph on the resolute, cruel mouth, as he lifted with
his hands a _black cap_. Malcolmson felt as if the blood was running