“I had hung a ‘protection belt’ of garlic ’round my neck, and the smell of it seemed to fill the corridor and give me assurance; for, as you all know, it is a wonderful ‘protection’ against the more usual Aeiirii forms of semi-materialization, by which I supposed the whistling might be produced; though, at that period of my investigation, I was quite prepared to find it due to some perfectly natural cause; for it is astonishing the enormous number of cases that prove to have nothing abnormal in them.

“In addition to wearing the necklet, I had plugged my ears loosely with garlic, and as I did not intend to stay more than a few minutes in the room, I hoped to be safe.

“When I reached the door, and put my hand into my pocket for the key, I had a sudden feeling of sickening funk.  But I was not going to back out, if I could help it.  I unlocked the door and turned the handle.  Then I gave the door a sharp push with my foot, as Tassoc had done, and drew my revolver, though I did not expect to have any use for it, really.

“I shone the searchlight all ’round the room, and then stepped inside, with a disgustingly horrible feeling of walking slap into a waiting Danger.  I stood a few seconds, waiting, and nothing happened, and the empty room showed bare from corner to corner.  And then, you know, I realized that the room was full of an abominable silence; can you understand that?  A sort of purposeful silence, just as sickening as any of the filthy noises the Things have power to make.  Do you remember what I told you about that ‘Silent Garden’ business?  Well, this room had just that same malevolent silence—­the beastly quietness of a thing that is looking at you and not seeable itself, and thinks that it has got you.  Oh, I recognized it instantly, and I whipped the top off my lantern, so as to have light over the whole room.

“Then I set-to, working like fury, and keeping my glance all about me.  I sealed the two windows with lengths of human hair, right across, and sealed them at every frame.  As I worked, a queer, scarcely perceptible tenseness stole into the air of the place, and the silence seemed, if you can understand me, to grow more solid.  I knew then that I had no business there without ‘full protection’; for I was practically certain that this was no mere Aeiirii development; but one of the worst forms, as the Saiitii; like that ‘Grunting Man’ case—­you know.

“I finished the window, and hurried over to the great fireplace.  This is a huge affair, and has a queer gallows-iron, I think they are called, projecting from the back of the arch.  I sealed the opening with seven human hairs—­the seventh crossing the six others.