皮漏斗之谜（13）（在线收听）

It is a horror coming upon a horror which breaks a man’s spirit. I could not reason, I could not pray; I could only sit like a frozen image, and glare at the dark figure which was coming down the great room. And then it moved out into the white lane of moonlight, and I breathed once more. It was Dacre, and his face showed that he was as frightened as myself.

“Was that you? For God’s sake what’s the matter?” he asked in a husky voice.

“Oh, Dacre, I am glad to see you! I have been down into hell. It was dreadful.”

“Then it was you who screamed?”

“I dare say it was.”

“It rang through the house. The servants are all terrified.” He struck a match and lit the lamp. “I think we may get the fire to burn up again,” he added, throwing some logs upon the embers. “Good God, my dear chap, how white you are! You look as if you had seen a ghost.”

“So I have—several ghosts.”

“The leather funnel has acted, then?”

“I wouldn’t sleep near the infernal thing again for all the money you could offer me.”

Dacre chuckled.

接踵而来的恐惧令人瑰飞魄散。我无法思考，无法祈祷，只能一动不动坐在那儿，蹬着渐渐走近的黑影。当它走到月光映照的地方时，我总算松了口气一一是达克，而他脸上也是一片惊恐。

“是你吗？天哪，究竟怎么回事？"他用嘶哑的声音问道。

“啊，达克，见到你真高兴！我刚才简直就是去了趟地狱。太可怕了。”

“那就是说，刚才是你在惊叫？”

“恐怕是的。

“整幢房子都听见了。仆人们吓坏了。”他擦着火柴，把灯点亮，“咱们把炉火重新烧起来吧，”他说着，往壁炉里未熄的余烬上扔了几块木头，“老天爷，亲爱的朋友，你的脸色怎么这样苍白！就像看见鬼魂了似的，”

“的确看见了一一几个鬼魂。”

“看来，皮漏斗起作用了9"

我再也不会挨着那个可恶的东西睡觉了，即使你把全部财产给我也不会了，”

达克格格地笑。