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- Артур Конан Дойл
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- Стр. 28/67
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An
instant
later
I
heard
through
the
telephone
a
muffled
thud
,
as
if
his
head
had
fallen
forward
on
the
desk
.
"
Mr
.
McArdle
!
"
I
cried
.
"
Mr
.
McArdle
!
"
There
was
no
answer
.
I
knew
as
I
replaced
the
receiver
that
I
should
never
hear
his
voice
again
.
At
that
instant
,
just
as
I
took
a
step
backwards
from
the
telephone
,
the
thing
was
on
us
.
It
was
as
if
we
were
bathers
,
up
to
our
shoulders
in
water
,
who
suddenly
are
submerged
by
a
rolling
wave
.
An
invisible
hand
seemed
to
have
quietly
closed
round
my
throat
and
to
be
gently
pressing
the
life
from
me
.
I
was
conscious
of
immense
oppression
upon
my
chest
,
great
tightness
within
my
head
,
a
loud
singing
in
my
ears
,
and
bright
flashes
before
my
eyes
.
I
staggered
to
the
balustrades
of
the
stair
.
At
the
same
moment
,
rushing
and
snorting
like
a
wounded
buffalo
,
Challenger
dashed
past
me
,
a
terrible
vision
,
with
red
-
purple
face
,
engorged
eyes
,
and
bristling
hair
.
His
little
wife
,
insensible
to
all
appearance
,
was
slung
over
his
great
shoulder
,
and
he
blundered
and
thundered
up
the
stair
,
scrambling
and
tripping
,
but
carrying
himself
and
her
through
sheer
will
-
force
through
that
mephitic
atmosphere
to
the
haven
of
temporary
safety
.
At
the
sight
of
his
effort
I
too
rushed
up
the
steps
,
clambering
,
falling
,
clutching
at
the
rail
,
until
I
tumbled
half
senseless
upon
by
face
on
the
upper
landing
.
Lord
John
’
s
fingers
of
steel
were
in
the
collar
of
my
coat
,
and
a
moment
later
I
was
stretched
upon
my
back
,
unable
to
speak
or
move
,
on
the
boudoir
carpet
.
The
woman
lay
beside
me
,
and
Summerlee
was
bunched
in
a
chair
by
the
window
,
his
head
nearly
touching
his
knees
.
As
in
a
dream
I
saw
Challenger
,
like
a
monstrous
beetle
,
crawling
slowly
across
the
floor
,
and
a
moment
later
I
heard
the
gentle
hissing
of
the
escaping
oxygen
.
Challenger
breathed
two
or
three
times
with
enormous
gulps
,
his
lungs
roaring
as
he
drew
in
the
vital
gas
.
"
It
works
!
"
he
cried
exultantly
.
"
My
reasoning
has
been
justified
!
"
He
was
up
on
his
feet
again
,
alert
and
strong
.
With
a
tube
in
his
hand
he
rushed
over
to
his
wife
and
held
it
to
her
face
.
In
a
few
seconds
she
moaned
,
stirred
,
and
sat
up
.
He
turned
to
me
,
and
I
felt
the
tide
of
life
stealing
warmly
through
my
arteries
.
My
reason
told
me
that
it
was
but
a
little
respite
,
and
yet
,
carelessly
as
we
talk
of
its
value
,
every
hour
of
existence
now
seemed
an
inestimable
thing
.
Never
have
I
known
such
a
thrill
of
sensuous
joy
as
came
with
that
freshet
of
life
.
The
weight
fell
away
from
my
lungs
,
the
band
loosened
from
my
brow
,
a
sweet
feeling
of
peace
and
gentle
,
languid
comfort
stole
over
me
.
I
lay
watching
Summerlee
revive
under
the
same
remedy
,
and
finally
Lord
John
took
his
turn
.
He
sprang
to
his
feet
and
gave
me
a
hand
to
rise
,
while
Challenger
picked
up
his
wife
and
laid
her
on
the
settee
.
"
Oh
,
George
,
I
am
so
sorry
you
brought
me
back
,
"
she
said
,
holding
him
by
the
hand
.
"
The
door
of
death
is
indeed
,
as
you
said
,
hung
with
beautiful
,
shimmering
curtains
;
for
,
once
the
choking
feeling
had
passed
,
it
was
all
unspeakably
soothing
and
beautiful
.
Why
have
you
dragged
me
back
?
"
"
Because
I
wish
that
we
make
the
passage
together
.
We
have
been
together
so
many
years
.
It
would
be
sad
to
fall
apart
at
the
supreme
moment
.
"
For
a
moment
in
his
tender
voice
I
caught
a
glimpse
of
a
new
Challenger
,
something
very
far
from
the
bullying
,
ranting
,
arrogant
man
who
had
alternately
amazed
and
offended
his
generation
.
Here
in
the
shadow
of
death
was
the
innermost
Challenger
,
the
man
who
had
won
and
held
a
woman
’
s
love
.
Suddenly
his
mood
changed
and
he
was
our
strong
captain
once
again
.
