The Facts Concerning The Recent Carnival of Crime in Connecticut | Page 7

mere ordinary sort of fool; but you pah!"
I would have given anything, then, to be heavyhearted, so that I could
get this person down from there and take his life, but I could no more
be heavy-hearted over such a desire than I could have sorrowed over its
accomplishment. So I could only look longingly up at my master, and
rave at the ill luck that denied me a heavy conscience the one only time
that I had ever wanted such a thing in my life. By and by I got to
musing over the hour's strange adventure, and of course my human

curiosity began to work. I set myself to framing in my mind some
questions for this fiend to answer. Just then one of my boys entered,
leaving the door open behind him, and exclaimed:
"My! what has been going on here? The bookcase is all one riddle of--"
I sprang up in consternation, and shouted:
"Out of this! Hurry! jump! Fly! Shut the door! Quick, or my
Conscience will get away!"
The door slammed to, and I locked it. I glanced up and was grateful, to
the bottom of my heart, to see that my owner was still my prisoner. I
said:
"Hang you, I might have lost you! Children are the heedlessest
creatures. But look here, friend, the boy did not seem to notice you at
all; how is that?"
"For a very good reason. I am invisible to all but you."
I made a mental note of that piece of information with a good deal of
satisfaction. I could kill this miscreant now, if I got a chance, and no
one would know it. But this very reflection made me so lighthearted
that my Conscience could hardly keep his seat, but was like to float
aloft toward the ceiling like a toy balloon. I said, presently:
"Come, my Conscience, let us be friendly. Let us fly a flag of truce for
a while. I am suffering to ask you some questions."
"Very well. Begin."
"Well, then, in the first place, why were you never visible to me
before?"
"Because you never asked to see me before; that is, you never asked in
the right spirit and the proper form before. You were just in the right
spirit this time, and when you called for your most pitiless enemy I was
that person by a very large majority, though you did not suspect it."
"Well, did that remark of mine turn you into flesh and blood?"
"No. It only made me visible to you. I am unsubstantial, just as other
spirits are."
This remark prodded me with a sharp misgiving.
If he was unsubstantial, how was I going to kill him? But I dissembled,
and said persuasively:
"Conscience, it isn't sociable of you to keep at such a distance. Come
down and take another smoke."
This was answered with a look that was full of derision, and with this

observation added:
"Come where you can get at me and kill me? The invitation is declined
with thanks."
"All right," said I to myself; "so it seems a spirit can be killed, after all;
there will be one spirit lacking in this world, presently, or I lose my
guess." Then I said aloud:
"Friend--"
"There; wait a bit. I am not your friend. I am your enemy; I am not your
equal, I am your master, Call me 'my lord,' if you please. You are too
familiar."
"I don't like such titles. I am willing to call you, sir. That is as far as--"
"We will have no argument about this. Just obey, that is all. Go on with
your chatter."
"Very well, my lord--since nothing but my lord will suit you--I was
going to ask you how long you will be visible to me?"
"Always!"
I broke out with strong indignation: "This is simply an outrage. That is
what I think of it! You have dogged, and dogged, and dogged me, all
the days of my life, invisible. That was misery enough, now to have
such a looking thing as you tagging after me like another shadow all
the rest of my day is an intolerable prospect. You have my opinion my
lord, make the most of it."
"My lad, there was never so pleased a conscience in this world as I was
when you made me visible. It gives me an inconceivable advantage.
Now I can look you straight in the eye, and call you names, and leer at
you, jeer at you, sneer at you; and you know what eloquence there is in
visible gesture and expression, more especially when the effect is
heightened by audible speech. I shall always address you henceforth in
your o-w-n s-n-i-v-e-l-i-n-g d-r-a-w-l--baby!"
I let fly with the coal-hod. No