Случай Чарльза Декстера Варда

           Thetextitselfwasrelativelytrivial,andWillettrecalledonlyafragment:

           ’Wedn.16Octr.1754.MySloopetheWakefulthisDayputtinfromLondonwithXXneweMenpick’dupinyeIndies,SpaniardsfromMartinecoand2DutchMenfromSurinam.YeDutchMenareliketoDesertfromhave’gheardeSomewhatilloftheseVentures,butIwillseetoyeInducingofthemtoStaye.ForMr.KnightDexterofyeBayandBook120PiecesCamblets,100PiecesAssrtd.Cambleteens,20PiecesblueDuffles,100PiecesShalloons,50PiecesCalamancoes,300Pieceseach,ShendsoyandHumhums.ForMr.GreenatyeElephant50GallonCyttles,20Warm’gPannes,15BakeCyttles,10pr.Smoke’gTonges.ForMr.Perrigo1SettofAwles.ForMr.Nightingale50ReamesprimeFoolscap.Say’dyeSABAOTHthricelastNightebutNoneappear’d.ImusthearemorefromMr.H.inTransylvania,tho’itisHardereach’ghimandexceedingstrangehecannotgivemetheUseofWhathehathsowellus’dthesehundredYeares.SimonhathnotwrittheseV.Weekes,butIexpectesoonhear’gfromHim.’

           WhenuponreachingthispointDr.WillettturnedtheleafhewasquicklycheckedbyWard,whoalmostsnatchedthebookfromhisgrasp.Allthatthedoctorhadachancetoseeonthenewlyopenedpagewasabriefpairofsentences;butthese,strangelyenough,lingeredtenaciousinhismemory.Theyran:’YeVersefromLiber-Damnatusbe’gspokeVRoodmassesandIVHallows-Eves,IamHopefulyeThingisbreed’gOutsideyeSpheres.