The Return of the Sorcerer and Ubbo-Sathla by Clark Ashton Smith Summary

In The Return of the Sorceror, the putative narrator Ogden is out of work and destitute and takes a job as a scribe to the eccentric John Carnby. Ogden is singularly suited to Carnby's needs because of fluency in ancient Arabic and other esoteric skills. Ogden plans to tenant with Carnby and moves into Carnby's rambling mansion. Within just a few hours Ogden realizes that Carnby is frightened of something. The first evening of his employment, Carnby has Ogden translate various passages from the Necronomicon, written in Arabic. Carnby explains that his Latin translation omits several passages. The passages that Ogden translates deal with the Satanic ability of a sorcerer to animate his body after death. While working, various clomping sounds emanate from...