“As I knelt, there came to me presently, a vague wonder at the two ‘accidents’ which had so nearly allowed the brute to get at me.  Was I being influenced to unconscious voluntary actions that endangered me?  The thought took hold of me, and I watched my every movement.  Abruptly, I stretched a tired leg, and knocked over one of the jars of water.  Some was spilled; but, because of my suspicious watchfulness, I had it upright and back within the vale while yet some of the water remained.  Even as I did so, the vast, black, half-materialized hand beat up at me out of the shadows, and seemed to leap almost into my face; so nearly did it approach; but for the third time it was thrown back by some altogether enormous, overmastering force.  Yet, apart from the dazed fright in which it left me, I had for a moment that feeling of spiritual sickness, as if some delicate, beautiful, inward grace had suffered, which is felt only upon the too near approach of the ab-human, and is more dreadful, in a strange way, than any physical pain that can be suffered.  I knew by this more of the extent and closeness of the danger; and for a long time I was simply cowed by the butt-headed brutality of that Force upon my spirit.  I can put it no other way.

“I knelt again in the center of the pentacles, watching myself with more fear, almost, than the monster; for I knew now that, unless I guarded myself from every sudden impulse that came to me, I might simply work my own destruction.  Do you see how horrible it all was?

“I spent the rest of the night in a haze of sick fright, and so tense that I could not make a single movement naturally.  I was in such fear that any desire for action that came to me might be prompted by the Influence that I knew was at work on me.  And outside of the barrier that ghastly thing went ’round and ’round, grabbing and grabbing in the air at me.  Twice more was the body of the dead cat molested.  The second time, I heard every bone in its body scrunch and crack.  And all the time the horrible wind was blowing upon me from the corner of the room to the left of the bed.

“Then, just as the first touch of dawn came into the sky, that unnatural wind ceased, in a single moment; and I could see no sign of the hand.  The dawn came slowly, and presently the wan light filled all the room, and made the pale glare of the Electric Pentacle look more unearthly.  Yet, it was not until the day had fully come, that I made any attempt to leave the barrier, for I did not know but that there was some method abroad, in the sudden stopping of that wind, to entice me from the pentacles.

“At last, when the dawn was strong and bright, I took one last look ’round, and ran for the door.  I got it unlocked, in a nervous and clumsy fashion, then locked it hurriedly, and went to my bedroom, where I lay on the bed, and tried to steady my nerves.  Peter came, presently, with the coffee, and when I had drunk it, I told him I meant to have a sleep, as I had been up all night.  He took the tray, and went out quietly, and after I had locked my door I turned in properly, and at last got to sleep.